


Linear Temporal

by GateRealmKeeper_Allora



Series: Necro Shift [4]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Child Frisk (Undertale), Frisk Has a Different Name, Male Frisk (Undertale), Spoilers - Undertale Pacifist Route, Verbal Frisk (Undertale), no warnings necessary besides majors game spoilers, proceed only if you've played or at least seen gameplay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:29:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 70,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25948120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GateRealmKeeper_Allora/pseuds/GateRealmKeeper_Allora
Summary: This is a retelling of Undertale with some parts based on my experience with the game. The story follows Hiro(?), a young boy who fell into the Underground and tries to make his way out, meeting the many monsters who live there. But with the odd visions that plague his mind and an equally odd skeleton popping up everywhere he goes, can Hiro figure out what’s happening before he becomes the seventh Soul needed to free the monsterkind?
Series: Necro Shift [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1883080





	1. LINE 1:THE RUINS OF THE FALLEN CHILD

**Author's Note:**

> This is a WIP and is not completed yet. The final number of chapters will be updated along the way.

~~LINE 1:THE RUINS OF THE FALLEN CHILD~~

Everyone knows the old legend. The Legend of the War Between Monsters and Humans. Or, The Monster-Human War, as it was easier to call. To think humans and monsters used to live in harmony, only to end up in the war. Tried as they might, but the monsters were too weak to defeat the humans. As a result, all of the monsters were sealed underground under a mountain by seven magicians.

_(a child is seen heading towards a cave entrance)_

Over the course of the years since then, there had been disappearances. Now, a warning had been ingrained into the people's minds...

_(the child gets closer to the entrance)_

“Anyone who so enters this mountain....

_(the child trips on a raised tree root)_

….will never return, for it is the World of Monsters....

_(the child is seen falling)_

….and the Grave for Humans.”

It isn't clear if there was truth to the warning and legend, but it didn't stop those who disappeared from entering the mountain. There was always hope that they would return.

_(the child is unconscious, lying on their stomach in a bed of flowers)_

Sometimes, hope comes at a cost.

The child, a young boy, soon woke up from his fall into the mountain and sat up to his legs, glancing around as he dusted the crushed flower pieces off his clothes. He wore an over-sized long-sleeved shirt that was blue and purple striped, his shorts a deep blue, he was also wearing black leggings, and black slip-on sneakers. The area was lit up by sunlight and was revealed to look like ruins of some kind. Crumbling marble pillars, cracked stones from years of vegetation pushing through and winding around, it looked like a place in homage to an ancient god or goddess than a place where dangerous monsters are said to roam. Or maybe it was both. The boy stood up and was about to move from the flower bed until he felt something pierce his mind. His vision started to darken as he could see a child crying in echoes next to him. It was a child like him, having a mop of chestnut hair to his cropped caramel hair, red eyes to his honey-brown, their pale skin to his tan, and both of their clothes are similar with some differences. The child had an over-sized green sweater with a single yellow stripe and with ribbed cuffs, collar, and bottom, brown denim shorts that reached his knees, and black boots. Seeing the other child's body being translucent compared to everything else, they turned out to be a lost child spirit kneeling in the bed of golden flowers. He saw this single lonely spirit, with their teary crimson eyes and tear-stained rosy cheeks and approached them, only for the vision to blank out and brightness returned.

Boy: What was that? _(crosses his arms)_ …..Hmm....Who was that? ….I better go. _(looks back to see if he could climb back up, but there was nothing but solid chipped rock)_ ...Not that way... _(looks around to find a kitchen knife-sized stick outside the flower bed) For safety.._

The boy moved forward towards the arch past the flower bed. Once he entered, there was a large spot where a patch of grass breaking out of the eroding stone path and in the center of that patch, a little flower with a white face and six yellow petals was watching him walking up.

Boy: That's a cute flower.

Flower: Howdy! I'm Flowey the Flower! You're new to the Underground, aren't you? Golly! You look so confused. Someone ought to teach you how things work around here! Well, little ol' me will have to do. Ready? Here we go!

The area around the duo went dark while they themselves went into a gray scale. The only thing that still retained color was a red cartoon heart. Flowey explained to the boy that the heart is his SOUL, the very culmination of his being. The only way it can become strong is by getting LV.

Flowey: What's LV? Why, LOVE, of course! Down here, LOVE is given through.... _(shifts his eyes)_ ...little...white...friendliness pellets. _(five white pellets appears around him)_ Grab as many as you can!

Frisk: Ok- _(sees a vision of himself moving out of the way of something white and does it; ends up confused)_ Huh?

Flowey: ….Hey, buddy, you missed them. Let's try again. _(sends more pellets)_

Boy _(sidesteps)_ : Sorry!

Flowey _(gets angry)_ : Are you brain-dead or something.... RUN. INTO. THE. ~~BULLETS~~ friendliness pellets.

Boy _(dodges the pellets)_ : I'm sorry!

Flowey: …. _(sneers)_ You know what's going on, do you?

Boy: I don't know...

Flowey: Ah. _(surrounds the boy with pellets)_ DIE!

Boy: What, no!

_(the pellets disappear and they both become confused)_

Flowey: Wha- _(gets hit by an incoming ball of flame and sent flying away into the darkness)_ AAH!

Soft patting of heavy footfalls approached the boy as a tall goatlike monster appeared before them. With Flowey gone, the area returned to what little color there was from before. The tall creature was a white bipedal goat with small horns, blue eyes, and paws like a lion's. The outfit it wore is a long purple robelike dress with white sleeves and a strange symbol that looks like a winged circle with three triangles under it. By the voice, it was a female monster.

Goat Woman: What a terrible creature, tormenting such a poor, innocent youth. _(smiles at the boy)_ Do not worry, my child. I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins.

Toriel explained that he was the first human to show up in a long time, and offered to guide him through the catacombs. She led him towards an area where two flights of stairs on opposite sides lead up to an opening flanked by a length of vines. Piles of red leaves are scattered across the slightly damaged location and a bright four-pointed star gyrated in place between the stairs where the majority of the leaves were gathered. He looked around as he approached the star, the shadow of the ruins looming over him.

Boy _(touches the star; a black screen pops up)_ : Awah! What is this?

Hiro LV1 XX:XX

Ruins – Entrance

Save Return

Boy _(looks at the number; it's showing his LV as 1)_ : What's this mean?

??? _(echoing)_ : _That number's too low for me...._

Boy _(looks around in a panic)_ : Who?! _(sees no one behind him)_ ….. _(turns back to the screen and touches_ _“Save”; the words turn yellow and he suddenly felt determined to do things)_ Cool! But that name.....am I Hiro?

Toriel: Is anything wrong, my child?

Boy: No, I'm okay. I think my name's Hiro.

??? _(echoing)_ : _You'll see, +----....._

Hiro _(looks around nervously)_ : ….

Hiro followed Toriel up the stairs into the next area where six round panels in a double-cross pattern are arranged on the right side of the place. A pair of purple closed doors with the same symbol as the one on Toriel's chest remained shut. After welcoming Hiro to his new home, she proceeded to then explain the operations of the Ruins, walking on the corner four plates then pulling the lever switch. The doors creak open as a result.

Toriel: The Ruins are full of puzzles. Ancient fusions between diversions and door keys. One must solve them to move between rooms. Please adjust yourself to them.

Hiro: Ooh.

The boy followed Toriel into the next area where the path was across two small wooden bridges built over the canals that water flowed through, and thick vines covered some of the walls. There were three switches in the area, two of which Toriel instructed him to flip in order to proceed. Hiro did just that as Toriel led him to the other side of the room.

Toriel _(claps her paws)_ : Splendid! I am so proud of you, little one.

He followed her into the next area where a tall stuffed dummy stood in wait. She then explained how to deal with monsters in the Underground.

Toriel: When you encounter a monster, you will enter a FIGHT. While you are in a FIGHT, strike up a friendly conversation.

Hiro: ….Okay.

Toriel: I will come to resolve the conflict. For now, practice talking to the dummy.

Hiro walked to the dummy and initiated the fight. Like before, the area fell into gray scale except for his Soul, and four orange boxes appeared with the words FIGHT, ACT, ITEM, and MERCY. Frisk was about to choose ACT, but he suddenly had a vision of himself choosing FIGHT. A strange bar appeared in front of him. It was a long lime green oval, with six thick vertical bars and several tiny verticals going from red at the ends, yellow before them, and green in the middle of the oval. The open center of the oval was like a bull's eye on the dummy, and the vision hit it with a pointed stick that Hiro had on him. The dummy was destroyed instantly, its stuffing releasing a thick cloud of dust upon its stitches ripping apart. Hiro nearly shrieked after the vision blinked out and he hit ACT. A second branch of the screen showed *Dummy, and two options showed up around the dummy: *Check and *Talk. Hiro decided to talk to the dummy.

Hiro _(waves a little)_ : Hello. How are you..? You look....neat? …..

The dummy didn't seem much for conversation, but Hiro saw that Toriel seemed happy with him.

Toriel _(claps her paws)_ : Ah, very good! You are very good.

Hiro beamed.

Hiro followed Toriel into the next area where she asked him if he can solve the puzzle that is in the place. As they walked on, the room was about to go into a zigzag when a white frog-like monster hopped in between Hiro and Toriel, initiating a gray-scaled fight.

Hiro: Ah! _(chooses ACT and sees that the frog is called Froggit and the words Check, Threat, and Compliment around it)_ Compliment....Ah! You look really neat!

Froggit didn't get what Hiro said, but was flattered anyway. Before the Froggit did anything, Toriel walked into the battlefield and stared down at the frog. The frog hopped away, looking ashamed.

Hiro: Phew, that was close.

After the sudden “battle”, Toriel led him to a spot where there are four long rows of spikes over a large pool of water. She was concerned about Hiro's safety, so she took him by the hand and guided him to the other end of the spike rows. The duo soon entered the next room where a long hallway stretched out in front of them.

Toriel: You have done an excellent job thus far, my child. But I have a difficult task for you. _(averts her eyes then looks back at Hiro)_ I would like for you to go to the end of this hallway by yourself. Forgive me for this.

Hiro: Eh, wai-

As swiftly as her legs carried her large form, Toriel quickly trotted her way down the hall as Hiro just walked after her. He was tense about this, since it was a quiet walk until he reached the end of the hallway where a single complete pillar still stood. Toriel soon left the pillar and explained that she wanted to test his independence. There was one more thing she had for him.

Toriel _(pulls out a little gray phone with a short antenna from a hidden pocket)_ : I apologize for this, but I have some errands to run and I need you to stay here until I return. Here is a cell phone. _(hands Hiro the phone)_ It already has my number, so if you need anything, you can contact me. _(walks away)_ I'll be right back.

Hiro: ….. _(looks at the phone and starts pressing buttons)_ How do I- _(presses a green button and a black screen popped up;_ _two black screens appeared)_

The top box had his stats:

Hiro

LV 1

HP 20/20

G 0

And the second had ITEM, STAT, and CELL. Hiro tried STAT and another screen popped up:

“Hiro”

LV 1

HP 20/20

AT 18 (0) EXP: 0

DF 11 (0) Next: 80

WEAPON: Stick

ARMOR: Bandage

Gold: 0

Hiro closed the screens and decided to call Toriel, finding her number. They chatted for a short while, saying hello and Toriel talking about herself. She was even happy that Hiro called her “Mom”, and awkward when he made a “flirtatious” remark. If calling her a cutie pie would count as such. Hiro didn't know. But now, Hiro wanted to listen to what Toriel said about staying where he was, but his curiosity got the better of him. He soon left the hallway into the next room area where another white frog is present ahead of an entryway and a massive pile of red leaves with another yellow star ahead of them. Hiro was about to move on when the phone rang. Toriel had called to ask if he had left the room and warn him that there were puzzles she had not taught him about yet. Hiro was suddenly felt guilty and had no choice but to lie to her about not leaving. She just accepted it before hanging up. Hiro kicked some of the leaves around in a playful manner before touching the twinkling star. He touched the Save word, hearing a ding and the black panel vanished. He went into the entryway and found a small room where a bowl of what looked like candy sat on a marble pedestal, and waterways on the sides of the room. He took nearly all of the candy, and pretty much felt awful about being the scum of the earth after knocking the bowl off by accident. Hiro left the room and talked to the Froggit by the entrance.

Froggit: Ribcuse me, humanbit. Ib have some advice for you abit battling monsters, ribbit. If you act a cerbain way or fight untib you almost defeabit them, they might not want to fight abymore, ribbit. If a monster does not want to fight, please.... use some mercy, humanbit. Ribbit.

Hiro: ..Okay.

Hiro was about to leave until he ran into a little bug monster. The battle began and before he could see what it was, his vision darkened again and he saw himself stabbing the bug with the stick in his hand. The scene blinked out and Hiro grew confused and afraid like the bug. Hiro found out it's called a Whimsun, and before he could console it, the Whimsun flew off in tears. He was starting to wonder what these visions were, but he decided to ignore them again. Hiro continued on to next area where there is a hallway with six cracked spots in the floor and two rectangular holes on the wall.

Hiro: How am I gonna go over there? Maybe I can... _(backs up far then runs; jumps but lands on a crack; falls through)_ AAAAAH!! _(lands on a pile of red leaves, landing on his back)_ Ow! _(curls into himself while waiting for the pain to fade; looks up to see a hole then sees two exit ways; goes to the right)_ Where does this go? _(walks into it until it shrinks like a tunnel)_ Getting..kinda small... _(climbs out through a rectangular hole on the other side of the crack floor)_ All right!

Once Hiro was out, he continued onward to the next area. It was a wide area where the wall has a few vines crawling up, a small rock about his waist, a gray platform, and a row of spikes. Before he could fully explore this area, he received a phone call.

Hiro: Hello?

Toriel: Hello, this is Toriel. For no reason in particular..which do you prefer? Cinnamon or butterscotch?

Hiro: Um...Cinnamon.

Toriel: Oh, I see. Thank you very much! _(hangs up)_

Hiro: Huh... _(takes a few steps before the phone rings again)_ Hi, Toriel.

Toriel: Hello! You do not DISLIKE butterscotch, do you? I know what your preference is, but...would you turn up your nose if you found it on your plate?

Hiro: Mmm, I don't...think so.. I don't hate it.

Toriel: Right, right, I understand. Thank you for being patient, by the way. _(hangs on again)_

Hiro: Huh, why did she ask?

After the call, he looked around to see if he could get past the spikes. Hiro couldn't see his way around them, and he realized that there was no switch nearby, even when looking behind the vines. He then came across a grey sign that shows 'Three out of four rocks recommend you push them'. Remembering the rock, he went to go push it. He suddenly had an encounter with a Whimsun but this time, he was able to spare it before it fluttered away, leaving behind the scent of lavender and mothballs. It was an odd scent. Hiro resumed to push the rock to the platform ahead until he heard a click. Hiro saw the spikes had disappeared and he moved on to the next area. There was another rectangular hole on the hallway wall, and Hiro soon found himself before an entire floor of cracks.

Hiro: Uhhhhhmm.... How am I going to..... _(looks around then moves forward)_ I'll just- _(feels the ground cave in and falls)_ AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaa!!! _(lands on the red leaves)_ Aaaaoow....

Hiro found himself in another underground room. This time, there is an excessive amount of red leaves. He got up and saw an exit out, avoiding the hole he fell through and fell down again in another hole. He thought about leaving through the other side of the room, but spotted a sign with 'Please do not step on the leaves' on it. He did notice that the room of leaves had a path-like void and followed it out. It took him a few times _(and a few battles against a Whimsun, a Moldsmal (looks like a giant gelatin dessert), and a pair of Froggits)_ , but he managed to get through.

Hiro _(picking leaves off himself)_ : I don't wanna go through that again.... I could've.....I should've......

??? _(whole face is red)_ : _I should have killed them....._

Hiro _(jolts)_ : What... _(looks around in fear) Who is that?_

Hiro was getting worried about the strange voice and the creepy vision he just had, so he had to move quickly. He moved to the next room where there are three rocks this time, and a spiked bridge over a waterway. A wobbly, squelching sound was heard, and Hiro spots two Moldsmals ahead of him. He decided to try something during the battle, since the last time he did, he imitated one and they both contemplated life for a while. Now, he tried wiggling his hips with the Moldsmal's wiggles. It was a very sexy wiggle to the monster. Hiro was just wiggling. After sparing both monsters after nearly having his Soul hit by a stray exploding bullet, Hiro went back to moving the rocks. He moved the first two relatively well. The third one, however...

???: WHOA there, pardner!

Hiro: WAHH!!

???: Who said you can push me around?

Hiro: Who said that?

???: Down there!

Hiro _(looks at the rock)_ : …..You?

Rock: Yeah, me!

Hiro: Uuh...oh. Uum...Can you...uh, move over, please?

Rock: HMM? So you're ASKIN' me to move over?

Hiro: Y-Yes.

Rock: Okay, just for you, pumpkin. _(moves ahead a little)_

Hiro: No, a lot more.

Rock: HMM? You want me to move some more?

Hiro: Yes.

Rock: Alrighty, how's this? _(moves off the path)_

Hiro: N-No...Not that way.

Rock: HMM? That was the wrong direction?

Hiro: Yes. _(points to the platform)_ There.

Rock: Okay, I think I got it. _(moves to the platform)_ Was that helpful?

Hiro _(sees the spikes collapse)_ : Yes. Thank you! _(walks to the bridge; the spikes reappear)_ AAAH!! _(looks back to see the rock off the platform)_ You have to stay on it!!

Rock: HMM? You wanted me to STAY on it?

Hiro: Yes!!

Rock: You're giving me a real workout. _(moves back onto the platform)_

Hiro: Thank you...

After nearly getting skewered by spikes and running into yet another pair of Moldsmals, Hiro imitated and wiggled his way out of the battlefield and into the the next room. There, he spotted a yellow star, a block of cheese on a round table, and a mouse hole. He walked up to the hole to peek inside and the mouse squeaked at him. He wanted to coax the mouse out with the cheese, but when he went to get it, Hiro discovered that it was so old, it was stuck to the table.

Hiro: Ew....

Despite this, he knew that one day, the mouse will leave its hole and get the cheese. Just like he'll leave the Underground and return home to the surface. Hiro thought of this with determination as he touched the star and saw the Save box pop up. Once he was done, he made his way to next room where he spotted a ghost laying on a pile of red leaves.

Hiro: A ghost! I hope it's not mean.... _(approaches cautiously)_ Hello...?

Ghost: Zzzzzzzzzzz.... Zzzzzzzzzzz.....

Hiro: Is it sleeping....?

Ghost: Zzzzzzz... _(opens an eye, like it was wondering if Hiro was gone; closes it)_ Zzzzzz....

Hiro: Um... _It's....pretending to sleep...._ Um, can you please wake up?

Ghost _(a little louder)_ : Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....  
Hiro: Please wake up! _(his Soul flickers a bright red)_

The room went into a grayscale and before Hiro was the ghost. Hiro checked for the information on it and found that the name was Napstablook. Napstablook didn't look to have a sense of humor.

Napstablook: Oh..... I'm REAL funny. _(starts crying)_

Hiro: Please, don't cr- _(Soul gets hit by a tear)_ Ah! _(dodges the tears)_

Napstablook looked like they didn't want to be here. Hiro felt the same, but he had to get through the battle. Napstablook materialized something in the air in front of Hiro, and he was prepared to dodge it, but what was shown was....

“REALLY NOT FEELING UP TO IT RIGHT NOW. SORRY.”

Hiro just floated in his spot, confused. Napstablook went back to pretending to sleep, which didn't last long. Hiro continued to dodge more tears before deciding to tell a joke.

Hiro: H-Hey, why did the ghost take the elevator?!

Napstablook: …?

Hiro: He wanted to.. _(points his thumb up)_ ...lift his spirits!

Napstablook: …..

Hiro: Be...Because..he's a...

Napstablook: Heh...

Hiro: Oh!

Napstablook started crying squiggly tears that crawled along the battle walls. Hiro had been hit a few times, but he threw in a somewhat flirtatious move after eating a piece of monster candy, which Napstablook didn't seem to pay much mind to. Napstablook looked just a little bit better, so Hiro gave Napstablook a patient smile.

Napstablook: Heh heh...

Hiro's cheering up of Napstablook during the battle seemed to have improved their mood, and they soon decided to show him something.

Napstablook: I...want to show you something....Let me try...

Hiro: Hmm?

Napstablook _(cries again, but the tears rose around their head, forming a top hat)_ : I call it...”dapperblook”. Do you like it...?

Hiro: I-

???: _Absolutely hate it. It's ugly, just like you!_

Hiro _(hands on his head)_ : Ngh...

Napstablook: ...You don't like it...?

Hiro: _Did he hear that?_ N-No! I really love it! It looks really cool!

Napstablook: Oh oh....

_(color returns to the room)_

Hiro: So, why are you here, Napstablook? Do you live here?

Napstablook: No.... I usually come to the Ruins because there's nobody around...but today I met somebody nice.... …..oh, I'm rambling again...i'll get out of your way...

Hiro _(watches Napstablook disappear)_ : Goodbye.. That was cool. _But that scary voice again... Why can I hear it..?_

Hiro decided to forget about it and continue his walk past the leaves, arriving at a section with two openings. He went to the opening ahead of him and found a room where there are two spider webs, the first smaller than the second, and a sign that say “All proceeds go to real spiders".

Hiro: Eh? Proceeds....? What's that? _(walks up to the second spider web; sees a note with “Spider Cider – 18G” on it)_ Hmm... _(digs in his pockets, but doesn't feel any money, just his phone and two pieces of candy)_ Oh... I thought I got money from the fights. I didn't? _(goes to the smaller one; sees a note with “Spider Donut – 7G” on it)_ Hmm...Ah! _(waves his hand and the menu comes up; sees the money amount showing 15G)_ Not enough for the cider, but I'll get the donut! But how do I... _(stands in front of the smaller web)_ Um... _(holds his hand out)_ I want the spider donut! _(nothing happens)_ Um….. Menu, spider donut! _(nothing happens)_ Ah... _(pulls out his phone)_ Maybe I should ask Toriel... Hmm.. _(holds the phone to the web and tries a few buttons, landing on the # button; a small panel with “Leave 7G in the web? Yes No” and a square showing “$ - 15G SPACE - 2/8” pops up)_ Oh! _(chooses Yes)_ Now what? _(sees 7 coins land on the web, a few spiders descend from the ceiling holding a donut covered in purple glaze and sprinkled with spider-shaped sprinkles)_ Uuh... _(is given the donut; watches a spider wrap the coins in silk and carry them up its string to the ceiling)_ Uuh...Thank you..? _(puts the donut in his pocket)_ Okay..

Hiro left the room thinking about the spider situation. He wasn't too afraid of spiders, but he wasn't fond of them either. They just made him a bit squeamish. He went to the other entrance and came across a sign talking about a Spider Bake Sale in the room to the right and how the items were "made for spiders, of spiders, by spiders". Suddenly, Hiro wasn't sure if he should keep the donut. He spotted three frogs along the way. The first talked about how his friend never listened to him, but how lucky that Hiro wasn't like that. The second frog heard something about using F4 to make a screen bigger. Or did it mean “Four Frogs”? It didn't know. Hiro figured it meant the panels that show up around him. What's weird was that there's only three frogs here. The third one heard that Hiro was merciful for a human.

Hiro: _Were the other humans mean?_

The frog then proceeded to talk and ask about yellow names, which Hiro did notice when he spared the monsters. He just didn't know why it happened. He did find them very helpful. The frog told him that sparing meant that one won't fight, so he'd have to do it, even if the names aren't yellow. Before he got a chance to leave, Hiro ran into a Moldsmal and what looked like a walking cockroach. A Migosp, as he found out. It looked evil, but it looked like it was in the wrong crowd. When Hiro approached it....

Migosp: FILTHY SINGLE MINDER...

Hiro had to dodge bullets and now bugs. He saw that once he spared the Moldsmal, the Migosp started dancing along with a smaller version of itself like it didn't have a care in the world. Hiro danced along a little before sparing it, too. He soon received a call from Toriel who had realized she hadn't cleaned up in a while, and wasn't expecting company. She then reminded him that if he wanted the things that were lying around, he would need to have room in his pockets for them before hanging up. The only things he had in his pocket right now was the spider donut and two monster candies in his left one. He only had enough room for one more thing in it, so it was starting to worry him.

Hiro: Hmmn...

Hiro walked to the next room where there are six cracks on the floor, three on each side of the hall. He found a sign saying that there's only one switch, but when he looked around, there was none. He decided to check the walls, but when he went to check the walls, he didn't check to see if the crack of the first spot was normal. Soon, he fell through it.

Hiro: NOT AGA- _(lands on the leaves)_ oooww.... Why....

Hiro sat up to leave the room when he found a carrot. When he tugged on it, it turned out to be a giant monster carrot with a creepy face. It sprung out of the earth and Hiro found himself in a battle with it. His options with fighting this Vegetoid were Talk, Devour, and Dinner. He tried to talk to the Vegetoid, but...

Vegetoid: Plants can't talk, dummy.

Hiro: But you just did.... _(sees various vegetables rain down)_ Waah!!

Once he dodged everything, he realized that besides the candy, he hadn't really eaten anything filling since he fell into the Underground. Hiro felt his stomach gurgling and patted it, which seemed to be a sort of signal to the monster.

Vegetoid: Eat your greens!

Hiro dodged the vegetables again, but noticed one of them was green and caught it while dodging the others. He had a flicker of a vision where the vegetable was a half-eaten Vegetoid and he almost threw it away. Swallowing the uncomfortable feeling in his throat, he ate it. He felt a little better. The monster cackled softly as Hiro moved to spare it. Afterwards, he left the room and checked the one across from it. Bad idea. Once again, he fell down.

Hiro: I wish I didn't have to fall in the holes.... _(notices a faded pink ribbon)_ Did someone drop this? _(picks it up)_ Does this belong to a monster? I should find them and give it back.

Hiro did eventually find the hole with the switch and continued into the next area after being ambushed by another Vegetoid and a Migosp. He soon arrived at an area where there are three pillars in different areas of the room and the entrance on the other end of the room had a gray panel with a few holes in it.

Hiro _(reads a nearby sign)_ : “The far door is not an exit. It simply marks a ro...ta...tation..rotation in per....pre..per..spec..tive...perspective? Perspective. Eh? _(looks at the three pillars and sees giant buttons in three colors)_ There's a red, blue, and green button. Hm. _(walks into the next room and notices the room is the same, but this time, three are spikes in the exit)_ Eh? I was just.... _(reads the sign)_ “If you can read this, press the blue switch.” Oh! I just saw the blue one when I came in!

Before he could reach, Hiro runs into a pair of monsters that has an eye for most of their body, jagged row of teeth, long arms, short legs, and a pair of horns. They both sized up Hiro and started picking on him. Hiro had checked on the first one and it, or they, were called Loox. They seemed to be family since their last names appear to be Eyewalker, which made sense to Hiro since they were a pair of walking eyes. Even when they were picking on him, he didn't return the flavor.

LooxA: Finally, someone gets it.

Hiro: I don't get it.... But okaaAAAAAY!!? _(dodges strings of rings)_

Hiro kept refusing to pick on them, all the while ignoring the vision of someone picking on the monsters. The visions were starting to get worse for him, and he wanted to get out of the Ruins quick. After the battle, Hiro went back to the first pillar and pressed the blue button. The sound of something clicking rang out, and Hiro sees the spikes are gone. After running into a Moldsmal and Migosp, he went into the next room. He ended up in the next room where the room looked exactly the same as the last one.

Hiro: Uh... _(looks at the sign and he needed to press the red switch)_ Hmmm....I think it's by the other side? _(walks to the exit with the spikes and looks around the pillar and finds it)_ Yay! _(sees a pair of Looxs)_ Oh no...

After he spared those two, he moved on to the next room....which was the same again, much to Hiro's dismay. This time, he had to press a green switch, and deal with a Migosp/Vegetoid pair and a Whimsun/Loox pair. Afterwards, he managed to leave the room and arrived at a split path going left and straight ahead. He crossed over a thick line of grass that broke out of the ground and again through another patch as he headed straight. Hiro met up with a Froggit who said it saw Toriel coming through the entrance after shopping for groceries. It also mentioned that the other monsters were too intimidated to talk to her. This worried Hiro because if the monsters were too scared to talk to her, maybe Toriel was dangerous? She didn't look like it to him. He soon ended up at an area where the edge is fenced off like a balcony overlooking the landscape where an old ruined city is seen.

Hiro: Whoa....This is what it looked like here? I didn't know there was a city under a mountain! _(stares at the city for a while longer before turning to leave; notices an item to the left of him)_ Hm? _(goes to it and picks it up; it's a plastic knife)_ A toy knife? _(swings it a little)_

???: _Go back..._

Hiro _(jolts)_ : Wha?

???: _Go back.....kill..._

Hiro _(shaking)_ : Ah...

Hiro started to see images of the monsters being attacked by someone that looks like him. That strange panel he saw when he talked to the dummy kept appearing in front of the child as they slashed and stabbed the monsters until they were all gone. Hiro looked down to see the knife...

...And his hands were covered in dust.

His clothes, his skin, the knife, his shoes, they were covered in the powdery monster dust. Hiro let out a scream that echoed into the city and threw the knife down, trying to get the dust off him. But when he moved to do it, there was no dust on him. Not on his skin or sleeves or shoes. Not even on the knife. He ran from the cliff balcony in tears and spotted the Froggit. Seeing the monster made him feel a little better, but he was still upset by the vision. He staggered his way past the large pile of leaves into the next area. Hiro entered a large area where there is a building with two glassless windows with a massive pile of leaves under them with a star on the left pile, and an entrance missing a door with an unreadable sign above it built into the wall of the cavern. Closer to the entrance Hiro entered is a black tree whose leaves had fallen off. As he wandered ahead and trying to wipe his tears away from his eyes, he heard Toriel's voice.

Toriel: Oh dear, that took longer than I thought it would... _(walks past the tree and stops to call Hiro; sees him)_ Oh my goodness! _(runs to him then crouches in front of him)_ How did you get here, my child? Are you hurt?

Hiro _(starts crying again)_ : A little.. I-I'm soorrry... I-I wanted to s-see the Ruins, but I ran into m-monsters and I k-kept falling into holes and saw s-scary things and I-I'm sorry I didn't w-wait for yooou...

Toriel: There, there, I will heal you. _(holds her paws over Hiro's wounds and a soft green light washed over them, mending the wounds until they disappear)_ There you go.

Hiro: snif.. Thank you..

Toriel: You're welcome. Oh, I should not have left you alone for so long. It was irresponsible to try to surprise you like this. _(covers her mouth)_ Err..

Hiro: Surprise?

Toriel: Oops. Well, I suppose I cannot hide it any longer. Come, small one! _(walks towards the building)_

Hiro soon followed her to the house, but not before saving his....whatever he was saving.

Hiro: Progress? Maybe. _(looks at the house)_ It does look kinda cute. _(saves then goes into the house)_

Hiro entered the house and found Toriel standing in front of stair railing, waiting for him. To the left of the two flight of stairs is ochre yellow table stand with a brown vase and yellow tulips, above the first flight is a long landscape painting of a mountainous landscape with a forest valley on the bottom and thin clouds. To the right, a flower-shaped wall lamp, a second square picture of a flower field and floor shelf with some books a few small trinkets are seen. Hiro caught a strong scent floating in the air.

Toriel: Do you smell that?

Hiro: Yes, what is it?

Toriel: Surprise! It is a butterscotch-cinnamon pie.

Hiro: Ooh!

Toriel: I thought we might celebrate your arrival. I want you to have a nice time living here, so I will hold off on snail pie for tonight.

Hiro: Eh? Livi-

Toriel: Here, I have another surprise for you. _(walks to the hall on the right)_

Hiro: _…..I'm gonna live here? (follows Toriel; arrives in a long hallway where there are three doors, two tall vases with a zigzag design on them and two odd brown oblong things on a stalk, a large plant pot with a lily, two more stands with a red flower on the first one and a similar brown one on the second; four wall lamps, another smaller landscape painting, a mirror on the far end past the third door, and diamond patterned hallway runner rug that span from before the first lamp to before the fourth lamp)_

Toriel: This is it... _(leads Hiro by his hand to the first door)_ A room of your own. I hope you like it!

Hiro: Oh. _(feels Toriel pet his head with her paw; looks up to see her have a strange but sad look on her face)_ Toriel...?

Toriel: Hm? _(eyes slightly waters; sniffs)_ Oh! Is something burning..? Um, make yourself at home! _(hurries away)_

Hiro: ...Was she...hmm..

Hiro decided to explore the house a little before settling in the room. He went further down the hall and stopped at the second door. Around the left side of the room up is a trash can, a large desk with an open book, papers, and a table lamp. It looked like it was used by the way the chair is. A giant bed that looked bigger than a twin-sized one with blue covers and a light blue pillow with a paw print rug by it, two square photo frames hung behind the bed, a flowerpot with a tall plant, a wide bookshelf with a flowerpot of two bright yellow flowers and a small cactus. Next to the bookcase is a short dresser with another small lamp. A tall flowering cactus with two branches is seen to the far right of the entrance. He noticed an open book on the desk and went over to it to read it, seeing a circled passage in it.

Hiro: “Why did the skeleton want a friend? Because she was feeling BONELY...” Hmm... _(looks at the rest of the page; they had jokes of the same caliber)_ Heh...Um...hmm...

Hiro explored the rest of the room where the trash can turned out to be a bucket of snails. In the bookcase was an encyclopedia of subterranean plants. He flipped through the pages of it and ended up in the middle.

Hiro: Ty.. “Typha” - A group of wetland flowering plants with brown ob...long seedpods. Known commonly as.. “water sausages”. _(sees a picture of them)_ Are those... _(walks back out of the room and sees a pot of them by the first door)_ So that's what those are. _(goes back in the room; goes over to the drawers of the dresser.)_ It's Toriel's sock drawer. I don't think I should look in here.

So scandalous!

After Hiro finished looking around, he went back out the room. In the hall, he went past the door that had a sign saying that it is under renovations. He then noticed a mirror.

Hiro _(grinning)_ : It's me!

??? _(a static black image in the shape of a child in the mirror standing behind him)_ : _C----!_

Hiro: WAAH! _(covers his mouth with his back against the mirror)_

Toriel _(calling out)_ : Is everything okay?!

Hiro: Y-Yes! Just scared myself!

Toriel: All right...

Hiro: ….. _(turns to the mirror)_ …....It's me... _(waits; nothing happens)_ ….. _(walks over to the stand and finds flower seeds and broken crayons)_

Hiro moved on to the lobby area, looking at the books that may have been worn down from frequent use and finding an old calendar from the beginning of 201X in the table stand at the opposite end. He then looked at the stair case and became curious of what was downstairs. Thinking that Toriel may be busy, Hiro stuck his way down the stairs. It was a long dark hallway ahead of him and this made him even more curious. Before he was able to go further...

Toriel: I think you should play upstairs instead.

Hiro _(freezes when he hears Toriel's footsteps)_ : !

Toriel _(gently grabs his hand)_ : Come along now.

Hiro: Ah....

Hiro was released from Toriel's grasp once they left the hallway, and he wondered why she would stop him from going there. Ignoring his curious urges, he went into the next room. It was the living room, and Toriel was seen reading a book in her chair while sitting by the fireplace. When he got close, the fire isn't burning hot, it just felt pleasantly warm to be close to. Just enough to put his hand inside, but he didn't want to risk Toriel yelling at him to not do so. By the fireplace was another bookcase and by that was some fireplace tools. Hiro noticed that they were filed down on the ends, probably by Toriel to make them safer. There was also a large dining table with three chairs and a flowerpot with more flowers in it on the table.

Hiro: Um...Toriel..?

Toriel: Hello there, little one!

Hiro: Um..... _Should I ask her about the hall?_ Mmm... _(shakes his head a little)_ I'm kinda hungry.

Toriel: I see. Well, the pie has not cooled down yet, so perhaps you should take a nap for a while until it does, okay?

Hiro: Mm..not now.

Toriel: You would rather stay up and chat with me, then?

Hiro: Yes.

Toriel _(smiles while adjusting her glasses)_ : Well...Um, I want you to know how glad I am to have someone here. There are so many old books I want to share. I want to show you my favorite bug-hunting spot, and I have also prepared a curriculum for your education.

Hiro _(frowns)_ : Eee..

Toriel: This may come as a surprise to you...but I have always wanted to be a teacher. ...Actually, perhaps that is not very surprising.

Hiro: You look like you can be a teacher.

Toriel: Thank you. _(frowns)_ STILL.

Hiro: ?

Toriel _(smiles)_ : I am glad to have you living here.

Hiro: Oh...okay.. _(steps away before stopping)_ Um...Toriel..?

Toriel: Oh, did you want something?

Hiro: Ah.......no, nothing..

Toriel: Well, talk to me again if you need anything.

Hiro: Okay.

Hiro left the living room to go to the next room and entered a kitchen. There was a refrigerator where Hiro found a brand-name chocolate bar, a sink with a small kitchen mat and white fur stuck in the drain, a rack with a pair of pans and oven mitts hanging above the cupboard that has cookie cutters in the shape of monsters for making gingerbread monsters.

???: _Where are the knives..._

Hiro _(shivers)_ : Hmmmn...

He ignored the questioning voice and approached a very clean stove top. Hiro figured that since she had magic, Toriel must use fire magic to cook. The full pie itself has a nice smell, but it's too hot for him to eat yet. He decided to do what she told him to and go to sleep while waiting for the pie to cool. Hiro was about to go to bed, but he did wonder what some of the books in Toriel's bookcase were about, so he went up to it and grabbed one as Toriel sat back down to read again. The one he picked up was a history book and it reads as follows on a random page:

“Trapped behind the barrier and fearful of human attacks, we retreated. Far, far into the earth we walked, until the cavern's end. This was our new home, which we named... “Home.” As great as our king is, he is pretty lousy at names.”

Hiro: _A king....and the monsters, scared of humans? I thought they were the scary ones... (looks at Toriel)_ ….

Toriel _(notices)_ : What is it?

Hiro: Ah, nothing. _(puts the book back)_

Toriel: Well, bother me if you need anything.

Hiro: Okay....Good night.

Toriel: Sweet dreams.

Hiro left the living room to go sleep in....his room. The thought didn't exactly sit well with him, but it was better than hanging around in the Ruins alone. He entered and found that it looked like a child's room. A large rug with stripes inside a border of triangles is in the center of the room, and around the right side of the room up are a box of dusty toys, a brown bed with a white pillow and red covers, a pair of white and red stuffed animals, a striped floor lamp, a closet with a drawer, a table shelf with smaller toys and items, a photo frame and some papers, a chest, a picture of a flower taped to the wall, and a small table with a small table lamp. As cool as the toys in the box were, they didn't interest him at all. He checked the closet, but there was nothing inside. He found the empty photo frame covered in dust, and looked inside the chest. In it, there were kids' shoes in a disparity of sizes.

Hiro: Why does this have so many shoes? I didn't see another kid here... _(yawns)_ Hmmn...Sleepy..

Hiro laid in bed, thinking about his exploration of the Ruins so far. The monsters didn't seem too bad once he talked, or tried, to them, but he was still wary of them. Toriel was no exception to his caution, but he was finding her to be like a mother. A mother. Hiro thought about his parents, and he wasn't exactly fond of his family. He had forgotten exactly why he came down to the Underground, but it felt like he just had to get away. The thoughts that flooded his mind soon went away as he drifted off to sleep. He wasn't sure when or how long he slept, but he woke to the light being off and a familiar scent hanging in the air. He got up from the bed to find a single slice of butterscotch-cinnamon pie on a plate in plastic wrap on the floor. Maybe Toriel wasn't so bad at all if she went out of her way to bring him a slice without disturbing him. He picked it up and put it in his free large pocket so it wouldn't get crushed in his thinner ones. As much as he wanted to enjoy this homey atmosphere, he had to leave. The thought of staying here forever didn't appeal to him, especially when he had a home to go to. At least he think he did. He left the room and headed into the living room to talk to Toriel. As he thought, he found her still reading.

Hiro: Um...Toriel?

Toriel _(looks up from her book)_ : What is it?

Hiro: Um, I really want to thank you for letting me stay, and I liked it here, but I wanted to know when I can go home.

Toriel _(tenses for a split second)_ : What? This... _(smiles)_ This IS your home now.

Hiro: No, it's not. I-

Toriel _(holding up the book in her paws)_ : Um..would you like to hear about this book I am reading?

Hiro: Tor-

Toriel: It is called “72 Uses For Snails.” How about it?

Hiro: That's neat, but-

Toriel _(slightly nervous)_ : Here is an exciting snail fact. Did you know that snails....sometimes flip their digestive systems as they mature? Interesting.

Hiro: I didn't know that. But um, I want to know how to leave the Ruins.

Toriel: …. _(removes her glasses and puts the book by her thigh on the chair)_ ...I have to do something. _(gets up and hurries out of the living room)_ Stay here!

Hiro: Toriel! _(runs after her)_

Hiro chased Toriel and hears her down the stairs. He followed her down into the basement hallway and found her standing further ahead.

Hiro _(walks up to her slowly)_ : Toriel...?

Toriel _(doesn't face him)_ : You wish to know how to return “home,” do you not?

Hiro: Yes.

Toriel: ...Ahead of us lies the end of the Ruins, a one-way exit to the rest of the Underground. _(looks ahead)_ I am going to destroy it. _(turns her head but doesn't look at him)_ No one will be able to leave again. _(looks forward)_ Now be a good child and go upstairs.

Hiro: Wha- _(sees her run off)_ Wait! Destroy it? _(runs after her and meets her again)_ Why do you want to destroy it? I can't leave if you do!

Toriel: I know. ...Every human that falls down here meets the same fate. I have seen it again and again... They come...they leave...they die..

Hiro _(shocked)_ : What..? They...die..?

Toriel _(shakes her head a little, sighing)_ : You naive child.. If you leave the Ruins.... They...Asgore...will kill you.

Hiro: Asgore..?

Toriel: I am only protecting you, do you understand? ...Go to your room. _(walks away)_

Hiro: Asgore...will kill..me..? _(turns away, but decides to keep following; meets her at the corner)_ Toriel, I-

Toriel: Do not try to stop me. This is your final warning. _(walks away again)_

Hiro: Wait! _(follows her; arrives at a wide area where Toriel is facing a giant pair of doors with the same symbol as the one on her dress on them)_ Toriel, please, I just want to go home!

Toriel: ...You want to leave so badly? Hmph.. You are just like the others.

Hiro: The others?

Toriel _(sighs heavily)_ : There is only one solution to this. Prove yourself.... _(lowers her head)_ Prove to me you are strong enough to survive.

Hiro: Prove..?

Hiro noticed that darkness washed over him and Toriel. Color drained from the area and into the grayscale. His Soul illuminating the area and pulsing outside of his body. He knew exactly what this meant; he was getting into a battle.

He was about to fight Toriel.

Hiro _(backing away)_ : T-Toriel...W-What are you....

Toriel _(flames spark to life in her paws)_ : …...

Hiro: Ah!

Toriel: …..

Hiro: Toriel.. I don't want to fight you...

_(Toriel sends off a stream of flames as she moved her arms)_

Hiro _(flies around to dodge the flames; his Soul gets slightly singed)_ : AAH!! Toriel, please stop!

Toriel _(looks through Hiro)_ : …..

Hiro: Aah...Um...Noo..I can't think of anything!!

_(Toriel crossed her arms ahead of her as the flames formed a crescent shape then releases them at Hiro)_

Hiro _(flies past them)_ : Ah! Toriel!

Toriel _(sends off another wave of flames)_ : …..

Hiro _(stressed)_ : _Come on, Hiro, think of something!!_

Toriel _(has two large fireballs spiraling in her paws)_ : …...

_(flames crawled along the walls as Toriel sends off smaller flames at Hiro)_

Hiro: AAAH!! _(floats away as he notices his HP is low; eats a monster candy to get some of it up) I can't think of anything... (looks at the orange boxes around him) Maybe I can.... (reaches for the MERCY button)_

???: _Kill her..._

Hiro: Aah.. _(dodges the flames)_

???: _She's going to kill you.. So kill her..._

Hiro: No...Stop talking to me!

???: _You'll die if you don't kil-_

Hiro _(presses MERCY; sees the Spare option isn't yellow): Is this what that Froggit meant...? (hits Spare)_ I'm not going to hurt you, Toriel!

Toriel _(acting aloof)_ : …. _(sends off more flames)_

Hiro _(gets singed)_ : Aagh!! _(presses MERCY again)_ Toriel......!

Toriel: …..........

Hiro _(dodges a stray flame)_ : Toriel, stop fighting!

???: _Just kill...her.._

Hiro _(ducks)_ : No!

_(Toriel takes a deep breath)_

Hiro: Toriel, why won't you stop?

Toriel _(sends off more waves of flames)_ : …............................

Hiro _(dodges the flames)_ : Aah! _(hits the MERCY button)_ Toriel, I am not going to kill you!

Toriel: …?

Hiro _(dodges a few fireballs then hovers)_ : Toriel!

Toriel: What are you doing?

Hiro: What?

Toriel _(prepares another fire spell)_ : What are you doing? Attack or run away.

Hiro: No.

Toriel: No? What are you proving this way?

Hiro: That I don't wanna fight you. I don't wanna hurt you...

Toriel: Fight me or leave! _(sends off flames)_

Hiro: No! _(dodges most, but get severely singed)_ AAAaaow! I won't leave!

Toriel: Stop it.

Hiro _(gives her pleading look)_ : No! I won't!

Toriel _(averts her eyes)_ : Stop looking at me that way...

Hiro _(eyes water; floats toward Toriel)_ : Please stop fighting me..

Toriel: Go away!! _(sends off an explosion of flames)_

Hiro _(covers himself, but doesn't feel anything; sees the flames split past him)_ : _The fire..._

Toriel kept sending flames at Hiro and Hiro kept hitting the MERCY button. The more she sent, the more sadder she became. Hiro noticed this as well as the flames splitting before his Soul. It looked like Toriel never had wanted to hurt him from the start. Hiro moves closer to the flames and they move away from him. Before he knew it, Toriel dissolved the magical attack she prepared and ceased her onslaught.

Hiro: Toriel...?

Toriel _(looking down)_ : I know you want to go home, but... _(looks at Hiro)_ But please...go upstairs now.

Hiro: …. _(presses the MERCY button)_ I can't..

Toriel _(smiles sadly)_ : I promise I will take good care of you here.

Hiro _(MERCY)_ : ….I know...but I can't stay...

Toriel: I know we do not have much, but...we can have a good life here.

Hiro _(MERCY; tears fall)_ : I'm sorry...

Toriel _(voice breaks sorrowfully)_ : Why are you making this so difficult?

Hiro: I'm sorry...

Toriel: Please, go upstairs....

Hiro: I can't...

_(silence)_

Toriel _(laughs hollowly)_ : Pathetic, is it not? I cannot save even a single child.

Hiro: But you saved me...

_(silence)_

Toriel: No, I understand. You would just be unhappy trapped down here. The Ruins are very small once you get used to them. It would not be right for you to grow up in a place like this.

Hiro: You mean...

Toriel: My expectations....my loneliness....my fear... For you, my child... I will put them aside.

Hiro: Toriel... _(watches the colors come back)_

Toriel _(doesn't turn around when Hiro grabs her dress)_ : If you truly wish to leave the Ruins...I will not stop you. However, when you leave... _(lowers her head)_ ...Please do not come back..

Hiro _(surprised)_ : !….

Toriel: I hope you understand.

Hiro: I- _(gets hugged by Toriel)_ ...Uh....Toriel... _(hugs her back while crying)_ I'm sorry...

Toriel: …. _(lets him go while standing up)_ Goodbye, my child.

Hiro _(watches her walk away)_ : Ah...Mom..

Toriel _(stops; glances back)_ : …... _(smiles then leaves the area)_

Hiro had an urge to run after her, to ask her to come with him, but he never left his spot. After wiping a few stray tears away with his sleeve, Hiro walked to the doors and pushed them to open. Hiro made his way up a long hallway, thinking about how he wished he had stayed with her. He would have stayed, if he wasn't wanting to go home so badly. But there was a sense of guilt growing in him the farther away from Toriel's home he went that made him feel bad about not doing what Toriel told him to do. He believes now that she really was just lonely and only wanted to protect him from what's beyond the exit. By the time he finished his thoughts, he soon finds himself standing before a familiar flower...

Flowey: Clever. Verrrryyy clever.

Hiro: Flowey..?

Flowey: You think you're really smart, don't you? In this world, it's kill or be killed. So you were able to play your own rules. _(grins menacingly)_ You spared the life of a single person. Hee hee hee... I bet you feel really great.

Hiro: Yeah, I do! I didn't have to beat anyone up!

Flowey: Well, you didn't kill anybody this time.

Hiro: Th-This time...? I didn't kill anyone. I'm not going to hurt anyone!

Flowey: But what will you do if you meet a relentless killer?

Hiro: ...Um...

Flowey _(gets closer to Hiro)_ : You'll die and you'll die and you'll die. _(moves back)_ Until you tire of trying. What will you do then? _(gives a wide toothy grin)_ Will you kill out of frustration? Or will you give up entirely on this world...and let ME inherit the power to control it?

Hiro _(cringes back)_ : I don't know what you mean by that other stuff or who you really are, but I....I'll talk to them. That's what Toriel taught me! Or run away. That first then talk. Who are you to say that stuff?

Flowey: Hee...I am the prince of this world's future. Don't worry, my little monarch, my plan isn't regicide. This is SO much more interesting. _(grows larger and looms over Hiro; laughing menacingly before retreating back into the ground)_

Hiro was shivering by the time Flowey disappeared. He didn't know what to make of everything that has happened to him. The monsters, Toriel, him falling into the Underground, everything. He did know what it would be like outside the doors, but as the three locks that held the exit shut dislodge, Hiro began to wonder how the rest of his journey will play out. Will he get to see Toriel again? Will he really have to kill someone who wanted to kill him? And why was he hearing a voice and seeing himself hurting monsters?

Hiro _(walks through the exit as it opens)_ : I hope I don't have to hurt anyone....I'm determined to leave this place!

~~TO BE CONTINUED~~


	2. LINE 2: SNOWED IN SNOWDIN

~~LINE 2: SNOWED IN SNOWDIN~~

The ruin doors closed shut behind Hiro, cutting off his chance to go back inside. He hadn't expected to step outside into a dark, creepy snow-covered forest. He was more surprised that there was even a forest in a cave than the fact that he was half prepared for Winter as far as his clothes is concerned. Not wanting to stay outside forever, Hiro trudged his way in the snow to find warmth. Every once in a while, Hiro would rub his hands together, on his legs, arms, and face to keep them from getting colder. He soon spotted a large tree branch in his way and thought that he could take it with him to protect himself with. It was too heavy.

Hiro: Hmm... That didn't work. Oh well... If I had Toriel's fire magic, I could burn it. Haaaa.... _(steps over it and walks away; jolts at something snapping and turns back to see the branch broken in half)_ Aaah.. _(stares for a short while longer before resuming his walk, trying to calm his heart)_ Just an animal...just an animal.... _(walks more; sees something run by out of the corner of his eye; lets out a startled shriek)_ …...I'm c-c-c-c-c-cold...I'm j-j-j-just cold....

Hiro wasn't just cold, he was scared. He spotted a wooden bridge far ahead of him and quickly pushed himself towards it. But the closer he got, the more heavier that feeling of being followed was sinking from his heart pounding in his chest to his tightening stomach. Hiro managed to reach the bridge when...

_(slow heavy footsteps are heard crunching through the snow from behind Hiro; Hiro is frozen in place except for him shivering, nearly curling into himself, and whimpering quietly)_

??? _(deep low-medium voice_ ): **Human. Don't you know how to greet a new pal...? Turn around...and shake my hand....**

Hiro did not want to do so. His whole body was screaming at him to not do it, but part of him ignored it as he turned around slowly. He sees a tall shadow standing just a few feet from him as he looked behind himself. What if this was the relentless killer he was warned about? If it is, he's too scared to talk. He found himself fully facing the shadow, flinching hard at it reaching out to him with its “hand”. Hiro's mind didn't want him to touch it, but he did it anyway, and.....

_(a loud farting sound echoed into the air; Hiro stared in silence as the figure chuckled its way out of the shadows)_

Hiro was utterly confused as he stared at the hand he held and the figure before him who finished its laughter and saying how the old whoopie-cushion-in-the-hand trick is always funny. It turned out to be a walking, talking, living _(?)_ skeleton. A short, pudgy-looking skeleton wearing a cobalt blue parka with a black fur-lined hood, a white turtleneck shirt, charcoal gray shorts, and gray high-top sneakers, the entire outfit having silver stylized chains along the sleeves, chest, back, hood, and shorts. By the sound of the voice, Hiro figured this was a male skeleton. At least he think it is.

Skeleton: So, you're human, right? That's hilarious. I'm Te- …...Sans. Sans the Skeleton.

Hiro _(still confused; laughing nervously)_ : Uh...hi... _(trying to calm himself down)_ So...Um..Mister...? Sans?

Sans: Just Sans, kiddo.

Hiro: Um, S-Sans...What are you doing out h-here?

Sans: I'm actually supposed to be looking out for humans right now. But.... _(shrugs)_ You know.... I don't really care about capturing anybody, anyway. Now my brother, Ca-Papyrus... He's a human-hunting FANATIC. … _(looks past Hiro)_ Hey, actually, I think that's him over there.

Hiro _(glances back after noticing an odd look on Sans's face)_ : R-Really..?

Sans: I have an idea. _(nods his head towards the wooden bridge)_ Go through this gate bridge.

Hiro _(looks at the bridge; sees what's supposed to be a five-bar gate, but the center one is missing and the spaces between are wide enough for them both to go through)_ : Through there?

Sans: Yeah, go right through. My..uh..bro made the bars too wide to stop anyone.

Hiro: Okay.

_(Hiro and Sans walks towards a wide area where a small snow-covered hut-like structure, two small boulders, and a floor lamp are seen)_

Sans _(sees Papyrus coming)_ : Quick, go behind that lamp!

Hiro: Aaah..Oh! _(runs to the lamp; realizes it matches his body perfectly)_ Uh.. _(peeks from behind the lamp to watch the exchange between Sans and a much taller skeleton)_

Hiro noticed that while Sans was short and fat, this taller skeleton, Papyrus, was, well, tall and skinny. It too was a male, maybe, but his voice was more louder and upbeat than Sans's deep, calm voice. Papyrus was wearing a red scarf that looked slightly tattered, a white top that looked like a chestplate with yellow hems and a black triangle with two lines under. He wore a black long-sleeved shirt and pants that were really form-fitting, red gloves, blue...underwear _(???)_ , and red boots. He looked like a skeletal super hero to Hiro. Hiro also discovered that Sans seems to love making jokes, which he had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing loudly.

Sans: Come on. You're smiling.

Papyrus: I AM, AND I HATE IT!

Hiro continued to watch the exchange between the brothers, if they were, until Sans called him out once his brother left. They called each other that, so it might be true.

Hiro: You were really funny!

Sans: Thanks, kid. I guess you can say that I'm quite “punny”. _(laughs with Hiro)_ All right, you better get going. He might come back, and if he does...

Hiro _(worried)_ : …

Sans _(winks)_ : ...You'll have to sit through more of my hilarious jokes.

Hiro _(smiles)_ : Okay! _(walks a little before stopping at the structure; it looked like a checkpoint, but he saw a bottle of ketchup buried in the snow, a crushed bottle of mustard with its contents almost empty and the shelf had flecks of a crusted yellow substance that looked to be wiped off a long while back, and a bottle of relish that looked severely twisted to the point where its contents are completely squeezed out, save for what's frozen on the opening)_ ….. _(glances at Sans who just was turning away; leaves the station and walks down the path)_

Sans: Actually, wait!

Hiro _(stops and turns to him)_ : Yeah?!

Sans _(walks close but stops at a distance)_ : I hate to bother you, but can you do me a favor?

Hiro: Yes? _(vision darkens and he sees Sans before him; notices the Sans he sees doesn't look the same as the one before him for a split second before the vision fades; that Sans didn't look too happy; the vision blinks away and he didn't hear Sans's words)_ Uh..

Sans: Thanks a million. I'll be up ahead. _(turns then walks away)_

Hiro: Wait! That's- _(sees him fade in the shadows)_ ...the wrong....hmm...I didn't hear what he said...

Hiro wanted to go and get Sans, but the coldness of the area reminded him to keep moving, and he did into the next area. He followed the path to a jagged split path where a Save Star, as he decided to call the yellow stars, a path going to the west, and a treasure chest with a sign by it along the somewhat straight ahead of him. As he saved at Box Road _(???)_ , he thought about how determined he felt with the convenience of the lamp hiding him in a best way somehow. Even though he also thought it was odd that the lamp had his EXACT body shape. He walked over to the treasure chest and saw on the sign put there a box lover that the box allows him to put in and take out whatever items he wanted and it appears everywhere, so he wouldn't have to return here.

Hiro: Yay! Now I can put my stuff in there! _(opens the box and empties his pockets of the extra items he had from the Ruins)_ I'll just put these here. _(puts in the pie, donut, one monster candy, and the ribbon; notices a pink glove with a black circle around a pink heart)_ A glove? My hands are cold, but there's just one... _(sighs heavily)_ Okay... _(puts the glove on his right hand)_ Just the right one, but it'll be warm. _(closes the box; turns to see a short avian monster behind him)_ Aah!

The monster's face reminded Hiro of a mix between a snowflake and some other bird he couldn't tell. It fluttered forward towards him as the area around them fell into grayscale, and it started making jokes. He realized that the Snowdrake's jokes were all winter-related, so he decided to try one out himself.

Hiro: Hey....um...you should 'chill' out with this battle before we, uh....we, um....fall in thin ice....?

_(silence)_

Hiro: Uuuh...

Snowdrake: Ha! You have good taste!! _(whispers)_ In jokes.

Hiro _(to the best of his ability)_ and Snowdrake spent the battle making and laughing at each other's ice puns, with Hiro dodging the crescent moon attacks Snowdrake kept throwing at him. At one point, Snowdrake exclaimed something about how wrong his dad was when it came to laughs, and Hiro spared him. Of course, it didn't come without a vision of a version of himself hurting two similar-looking Snowdrakes. One had what looked like sunglasses and was more rude, but the vision got more violent as a gloved hand was punching the monster before it went away. Hiro couldn't tell if he was shivering from the cold or the vision. Either way, he needed to get out of the cold, and having only one glove doesn't cut it. Hiro went up the path north of the box and arrived at a shore of a river. He noticed a fishing pole stuck to the ground and reeled it in, hoping that a fish was at the end of it for him to eat. All he got was a picture of a strange monster with a set of numbers he recognized as a phone number and the words “Call me! Here's my number!” on it.

Hiro: I don't wanna... _(sends the line back out into the river)_

After leaving the area, Hiro went back further past the box and ended up seeing Sans and Papyrus again. It looked like the two were in the middle of a conversation.

Papyrus: AS I WAS SAYING ABOUT UNDYNE- _(notices Hiro, then looks back at Sans who was looking at Hiro)_

Hiro had to contain his laughter as he watched the brothers spinning in place before turning away to whisper to each other. Or, in an attempt to in Papyrus's case. Hiro could still hear him gleefully asking Sans if he was a human.

Sans: Actually...I think that's a rock.

Papyrus: Oh.

Hiro: What? I'm not a rock...

Sans _(points at Hiro)_ : Hey, what's that in front of the rock?

Hiro _(looks back and sees a rock far behind him)_ : Oh, that rock?

Papyrus: OH MY GOD!!! _(whispers loudly)_ IS...IS THAT A HUMAN?

Sans _(whispers back)_ : Yep.

Papyrus: OH MY GOD!!! SANS, I DID IT!! UNDYNE WILL... I'M GONNA....I'LL BE SO....POPULAR, POPULAR, POPULAAAR!! _(pats himself like he's trying to straighten out anything loose on him; clears his throat)_ HUMAN! YOU SHALL NOT PASS THIS AREA! I, GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL STOP YOU!!

Hiro _(worried)_ : Hmn...

Papyrus: I WILL THEN CAPTURE YOU! YOU WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE CAPITAL! THEN! THEN... _(rests his hand on his chin)_ I'M NOT SURE WHAT'S NEXT... _(stands with his arms crossed)_ IN ANY CASE! CONTINUE...ONLY IF YOU DARE!!! _(runs off, NYEH HEH HEHing into the distance)_

Sans: Well, that went well. _(turns to Hiro)_ Don't sweat it, kid. _(winks)_ I'll keep an eye socket out for you.... A real close eye socket out. _(walks away to Papyrus's direction)_

For a second, Hiro could've sworn he saw an odd look on Sans's face, but left it up to the fact that he found it weird for a human skeleton to even make facial expressions. He entered the next area where, besides the trees, the only thing in the area is a structure made out of cardboard. Before he could examine it, a small monster appeared. Small as in small body and a large head that looks like a snowman's head with a spiky ice mohawk. It strutted into Hiro's view as the area went gray-scale. It was called an Icecap, and Hiro's options were Compliment, Steal, and Ignore. He thought it would be mean to ignore it or even steal from it, so he decided to compliment it.

Hiro: You look really cool. Eer...I mean you have a...um.. _(notices the ice on its head)_ ..a great hat!

Icecap: DUH! Who DOESN'T know?

Hiro: Well, I- _(sees waves of vertical lines coming at him)_ Aah! _(tries to fly between them and makes it)_ Phew...

Hiro tried complimenting it more, but it didn't work, so he had no choice but to consider the other options. Hiro decided to first ignore Icecap. This bothered the monster greatly.

Icecap: HELLO?? My hat's up here!! _(makes sure its hat is still on its head)_

Hiro _(looks away)_ : …... _(dodges cannons that were shooting pointed ice blocks up at him; ignores Icecap again)_

Icecap _(frowns, but looks desperate for attention)_ : Better a hatter than a HATER. _(turns away)_

Hiro _(turns to see Icecap facing away; sees his vision darkening, but wills it away) Not this time. Sorry, Icecap... (swipes the hat off Icecap)_ Got it! _(sees Icecap being an ice cube)_ Oh no!

Ice: So...cold... I..I....What can I say...

Hiro: Oh no! I'm really sorry! I didn't know this would happen!!

Ice: What's the point...? I wanted you to see me as cool..

Hiro: Well...you still look cool.

Ice: Really..? So I can still impress you...?

Hiro: Yep! I like your...uh..hair.

Ice: Yeah, I like my hair, too.

Once Icecap, or Ice for short, decided to not mind its identity, Hiro spared it and the world became colorful again. It went on its way to somewhere in the forest and Hiro went over to the cardboard structure. He noticed some narration on it. It was written in a way that he swear he hears Papyrus saying it.

Hiro: “You observe the well-crafted sentry station.” Oh, it's a sentry station. Different from Sans's. “Who could have built this, you ponder...” Hm.. “I bet it was that famous Royal Guardsman!” Ooh, there's a famous Royal Guardsman here? _(notices a note)_ Hm? “Note: Not yet a very famous Royal Guardsman.” Oh. I guess not. If it's a sentry station, why is it different from Sans's? _(walks away)_

Hiro moved on the next area where a lone structure similar to Sans is located and a sign post. The only differences are the fact that the building looked like a dog house, a table bell, and a roof ornament of a dog head is seen. Hiro didn't notice the sign in his thoughts, but he did see a dog coming up from behind the counter, causing him to stop in his tracks.

Dog: Did something move? Was it my imagination?

Hiro: …..

Dog: I can only see moving things. If something WAS moving...for example, a human... _(hops over the counter)_ I'll make sure it NEVER moves again! _(brandishes a pair of daggers)_

This dog monster blocked Hiro's way to the next area as it went gray-scale around them. Doggo, as Hiro discovered, was wearing a pink tanktop with a wolf face on it and yellow pants with black spots on them. What was odd about Doggo's movements was that he was gazing around the area slowly, as if he was scanning the area. Hiro's only option was to Pet.

Hiro _(stares at the panel)_ : Wha..?

Doggo: Don't move an inch! _(charges and swings one of his knives at Hiro; it was glowing light blue)_

Hiro: Ah! _(about to block himself with his arms, but freezes; sees the glowing dagger pass through his Soul without damaging him)_ Eeh??

Doggo _(looks around)_ : Nothing there..

Hiro _(floats over to Doggo)_ : Maybe he can't see me? _(pets Doggo on the head)_

Doing this seems to have sent Doggo on a barking panic.

Doggo: WHAT!!! I'VE BEEN PET!!!

Hiro _(watches Doggo running around, screaming various versions of the word “Pet”)_ : Wow. _(freezes when Doggo runs by him swinging his glowing dagger again; spares him)_

Doggo _(runs into his station, cowering behind the counter while peering over)_ : S-S-S-Something pet me... Something that isn't m-m-moving... I'm gonna need some dog treats for this!!! _(hides again)_

Hiro: Phew. Glad that's over... Dog treats... He did have one in his mouth. _(turns to the path and notices a tiny pile of bone-shaped biscuits on the ground; one of them is partially burnt)_ Was...someone smoking dog treats...? _(looks at the station then moves on)_

Hiro soon arrived in a wide area where there is a larger space of ice and two paths that split ahead and to the west. He also saw Sans leaning ahead of him as he made his way through.

Sans: Hey there. You look a little chilly.

Hiro: A little? I'm f-freezing!

Sans: Ah. You did look “bone”-cold.

Hiro: Yeah, I didn't bring anything warm with me, and I just fought a dog who didn't even hurt me with its knives! Wait, did you just-

Sans _(furrows his bone brows)_ : Fought?

Hiro: Well...more like not moving and petting it, but still! I don't get how I lived.

Sans _(smiles)_ : I see. Well, kiddo, here's something to remember. My brother has a very special attack. It sounded like you already experienced this, but to clarify, if you see a blue attack, don't move and it won't hurt you.

Hiro: Oh. So that's why those attacks didn't do anything.

Sans: Yep. _(taps his skull)_ Here's an easy way to keep it in mind. Imagine a stop sign. When you see a stop sign, you stop, right?

Hiro: Yeah?

Sans: Yeah, stop signs are red. So imagine a blue stop sign instead.

Hiro: Okay.

Sans: Simple, right? When fighting, think about blue stop signs.

Hiro: ….Okay. _Why did I imagine a yellow one...? (moves away from Sans)_

Sans: Hey, one more thing.

Hiro: Huh?

Sans: Take care not to do anything that you might regret, okay?

Hiro: Uuh...okay... _(walks away from Sans) What's that about?_ Weird...

Hiro saw a sign in the center of the icy area. It took him awhile for him to get to it, but when he did, it had directions in it. Everywhere has ice. But to the east is Snowdin Town.

Hiro: ...And ice. Great...

He was about to check what's up north besides ice when he runs into a small white dog in armor. It was carrying a sword and shield that were about the same height as itself. Hiro recognized the symbol on its as the one on Toriel's dress and the Ruins' doors. Like Doggo before as the Gray-scale Battle started, all Hiro could do is Pet. Which was odd because all options but Check were labeled “Pet”.

Hiro: Uuuh... Okay...

Hiro petted the Lesser Dog as much as he could. There was so much petting to be had. So much so that he couldn't see the dog's head anymore. It basically went where no dog has gone before. This was a serious problem Hiro was faced with. He eventually grew tired of petting the dog and spared it, seeing its head and neck return to normal and it bounded off to who knows where. Hiro thought about sitting down and thinking about his choice, but he didn't want to get his butt frozen in the snow. He finally made it to the north and spotted a snowman. It wants to see the world, but it couldn't move. It asked Hiro if he could take a piece of it with him and he agreed.

Hiro _(leaves the area)_ : I'll have to put this somewhere safe. So I don't lose it. _(enters the next area; sees a wide empty area where the brothers are on the side of the large square)_ Aah.

Papyrus: YOU WERE NAPPING ALL NIGHT!!

Sans: That would be called sleeping.

Papyrus: EXCUSES, EXCUSES! _(notices Hiro)_ OH-HO! THE HUMAN ARRIVES!

Hiro: Uuh, hi.

Papyrus: YOU SEE THIS HERE? IN ORDER TO STOP YOU, MY BROTHER AND I HAVE CREATED SOME PUZZLES! I THINK YOU WILL FIND THIS ONE...QUITE SHOCKING!!! _(hears Sans snickering by him)_ FOR YOU SEE, THIS IS THE INVISIBLE...ELECTRICITY MAZE!

Hiro: That sounds bad...

Papyrus: WHEN YOU TOUCH THE WALLS OF THIS MAZE... _(digs in his pocket and pulls out a small crystal ball)_ ..THIS ORB WILL ADMINISTER A HEARTY ZAP!

Hiro: That sounds REALLY bad...

Papyrus: SOUND LIKE FUN??

Hiro: No.. _(notices the look on Sans's face and nods slowly)_ ….

Papyrus: BECAUSE! THE AMOUNT OF FUN YOU WILL PROBABLY HAVE IS ACTUALLY RATHER SMALL, I THINK. OKAY, YOU CAN GO AHEAD NOW.

Hiro _(stares at Papyrus in worry then takes a few step closer)_ : Okay... _(hears a zap and sees Papyrus being electrocuted and Sans cringing)_ AAAH!!

Papyrus _(charred)_ : …... _(turns to Sans)_ SANS!!! WHAT DO YOU DO!?!?

Sans: I think the human has to hold the orb.

Papyrus: OH, OKAY. _(walks over to Hiro, leaving a trail of soot on the ground)_

Sans: ….

Hiro: …. _(realizes Papyrus is very tall up close)_ Uuh..

Papyrus: HOLD THIS PLEASE! _(tosses the orb into the air and runs back on the same tracks)_ OKAY, TRY NOW!

Hiro _(has the orb balanced on his head)_ : Okay... _(follows the trail)_ Done.

Papyrus: INCREDIBLE!! YOU SLIPPERY SNAIL!! YOU SOLVED IT SO EASILY! TOO EASILY...

Hiro : Uuh...thanks..?

Papyrus: HOWEVER!! THE NEXT PUZZLE WILL NOT BE EASY! _(extends his arms to Sans)_ IT IS DESIGNED BY MY BROTHER, SANS! YOU WILL SURELY BE CONFOUNDED! I KNOW I AM! _(NYEH HEH HEHs out of the area backwards)_

Sans & Hiro _(Hiro takes the orb off of his head)_ : ….

Hiro _(gives the orb to Sans)_ : Here you go.

Sans _(stuffs it in his pocket)_ : Hey, thanks... My brother seems to be having fun.

Hiro: Welcome.

Sans: By the way, did you see that weird outfit he's wearing?

Hiro: Yeah, I did. I thought he was like a skeleton superhero.

Sans: That so, huh? We made that....a few weeks ago for a costume party. He hasn't worn anything else since...

Hiro: Really?

Sans: Yeah...keeps calling it his “battle body”. Man....isn't my brother cool...?

Hiro: Looks like it. _(glances at Sans)_ …..Is there something wrong?

Sans: Why do you ask?

Hiro: I feel like you seem sad for some reason?

Sans _(huffs)_ : Nah, I'm not sad. I wouldn't be smiling so much if I was sad.

Hiro: Oh...okay.

Hiro left Sans behind and arrived at a new area. Once he got a little further, he overheard someone lamenting about how something wasn't selling because of the weather. There was a tall blue bunny wearing what looked like an ice cream man uniform _(a yellow t-shirt with a red stripe on the right side and red pants)_ , and was standing next to an ice cream cart. Curious, Hiro approached the worried bunny and talked to him.

Blue Bunny _(sees Hiro; becomes excited)_ : OH!! A CUSTOMER!! Hello, would you like a Nice Cream?

Hiro: A Nice Cream? Not ice cream...?

BB: Yep, it's a frozen treat that warms your heart! Now for 15G!

Hiro _(takes out his phone and a panel popped up automatically; sees he has enough money)_ : Okay! _(buys one)_

BB _(gives Hiro the Nice Cream)_ : Here you go! Have a super-duper day!

Hiro: You too!

Hiro moved on across the small wooden bridge and spotted a large snowball in an open field. He also spotted Sans by a tree on the far opposite side of the area. He didn't remember seeing him walk by...

Sans: I see you visited the Nice Cream guy. I've been thinking about selling treats, too.

Hiro: Really?

Sans: Yeah. Want some fried snow?

Hiro: Fried snow?

Sans: Yep, it's just 5G.

Hiro: Okay. _(takes out his phone and a panel pops out; picks Buy and notices a strange look on Sans's face)_ Uh-

Sans: Did I say 5G? I meant 50G.

Hiro: Buh..! O-Okay, I have enough.

Sans: Really? How about 5000G?

Hiro _(sputtering while dropping his phone)_ : I..but I..it..was I...Uuuh..No, I don't have that much!

Sans: I see. Oh well, I have to pay for the raw materials somehow.

Hiro _(picks up his phone)_ : Raw materials? For fried snow...? But there's snow everywhere..

Sans: I know.

_(silence)_

Hiro: You could just...

Sans: Nah, it's not thaw enough.

_(silence)_

Hiro: Okay...

Sans: Heh.

Hiro decided to move away from the awkward situation, and walked past Sans along a path. He came across two structures that are like Doggo's and a sign between them.

Hiro: Smell Danger Rating...? Snow Smell – Snowman...WHITE Rating...can become Yellow Rating. _(confused)_ Unsuspicious Smell – Puppy...BLUE Rating...Smell of rolling around... _(more confused)_ Weird Smell – Humans...GREEN Rating..Why is the word Green in red...? Destroy at all costs?! I don't think I want to meet these two...

Hiro quickly left the area, jogged past Sans, and went to play with the giant snowball. It took him a few tries when he realized it was getting smaller, but Hiro finally managed to get the ball near the hole. He had some trouble getting it in before it eventually did, and saw a purple flag raising up from the hole along with a note and 2G.

Hiro _(takes the note and 2G)_ : “Even when you felt trapped, you took notes and achieved the end of “Ball”. Huh, neat. _(notices another snowball, but it's shaped differently)_

He continued on to the next area where he spotted Papyrus and, shockingly, Sans. Again, Hiro was wondering how the skeleton kept getting ahead of him. Before he could formulate a thought-

Papyrus: HUMAN!! I HOPE YOU'RE READY FOR... _(looks around then back at Sans)_ SANS!! WHERE'S THE PUZZLE?!!

Sans _(points to a piece of paper on the ground)_ : It's right there on the ground. Trust me, there's no way they can get past this one.

Hiro _(walks up to the paper and looks at it; it's a word search puzzle)_ : Uuh... _(notices one of the words that's jumbled up in the list)_ That's weird.

Papyrus: SANS!! THAT DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!!

Hiro: I'm confused...

Sans: Whoops. I knew I should have used today's wor- uh, crossword instead.

Hiro: ?

Papyrus: WHAT?! CROSSWORD?! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU JUST SAID THAT! IN MY OPINION, JUNIOR JUMBLE IS EASILY THE HARDEST.

Sans: What? Really, dude? That easy-peasy word scramble? That's for baby bones.

Papyrus _(leers)_ : UN. BELIEVABLE. HUMAN! SOLVE THIS DISPUTE!

Hiro: Eeh?!

Papyrus: WHICH IS HARDER? JUNIOR JUMBLE OR CROSSWORD?

Hiro: Uh...Um... _I've never done any of those things, even word search!!! Papyrus thinks it's hard, so..._ Uh...Junior...Jumble..?

Papyrus _(fist pumps)_ : HA, HA, YES! HUMANS MUST BE VERY INTELLIGENT IF THEY ALSO FIND JUNIOR JUMBLE SO DIFFICULT! NYEH! HEH! HEH HEH!! _(runs off)_

Sans: Hey, thanks for saying “junior jumble” to appease my brother.

Hiro _(hands Sans the word search paper)_ : Welcome. But...uh...I...never did any of the puzzles you two mentioned before.

Sans: ….Seriously?

Hiro: Yep.

Sans: Huh. I guess that's interesting. _(stares at the paper in his hand)_ Yesterday, he got stumped trying to “solve the horoscope”.

Hiro: ….Are you sure you're okay?

Sans _(looks at Hiro)_ : Huh? Yeah, of course I am. Why do you ask?

Hiro: Hm.. I still think you look sad about something.

Sans: Even though I'm grinning?

Hiro: Now you are.

Sans: Yep. I'm fine, kid. You don't have to worry about me. Worry about yourself.

Hiro: …..

Hiro left Sans to himself as he entered the next area. He spotted a piece of paper on the ground, a plate of spaghetti on one table, a microwave on another, and a star across from the spaghetti.

Hiro: Ooh, food! _(walks up to the spaghetti and grabs the fork; sticks the fork in the spaghetti, but the fork bends)_ Ah.. _(tries to pull the plate off the table, but it won't budge)_ It won't move? _(walks over to the microwave)_ Maybe I can move this to- _(sees it's unplugged)_ Why are all of the settings on “Spaghetti”...? ….. Maybe that paper says how to do this.... _(walks over to the paper and reads it)_ …..It's a trap to entice me? Wait...busy eating that I won't progress? ….I can't eat it... _(sighs then notices a mouse hole)_ Hmm, I think the mouse will figure it out. _(goes to the star and saves his progress)_ Still don't get how this works.

Thinking about the spaghetti, Hiro arrived in the next area and spotted a sign that says Warning: Dog Marriage. He continued on to explore the area until he ran into another Icecap and a strange monster that looked...odd. A triangular shape, four legs, two arms, three spikes on its....head, and a face that made Hiro uncomfortable. He tried to concentrate on the battle, but this monster, Jerry as he found out, was being rude. So he and Icecap ditched him. Hiro spared Icecap before Jerry could come back and ended the gray-scale battle. He was about to move on to the next area when he saw some spikes poking out of the snow.

Hiro: How am I gonna go pass this? _(looks around in the area on trees and in the snow; notices something under a small area of snow)_ Huh? _(kicks the snow around until he sees a map; there's a red X in the middle of three dots in a large square)_ Okay! _(walks around until arriving at an area with three trees in a triangle)_ Three...then if I go here... _(stops in the middle then stomps around until he hears a click)_ Oh! I think that was it! _(runs back to where the spikes were and sees them gone)_ Yay! Now I can go!

Hiro made his way across the small wooden bridge and was about to head down to the next area when he was approached by a pair of dog monsters wearing all black clothes and hooded tops with a facial picture of a dog on them. They were carrying a large battle axe and stopped on either side of Hiro.

??? _(male)_ : What's that smell?

??? _(female soft voice)_ : Where's that smell?

Male Dog: If you're a smell...

Female Dog: ...Identify yoursmellf!

_(both dogs stalk around Hiro, sniffing him; they seem to be doing this in a rhythmic manner for a while before stopping by Hiro again)_

MD: Hmm... Here's that weird smell...It makes me want to eliminate.

FD: ...Eliminate YOU!

Hiro: Aah!

The area turned into a gray-scale, indicating the usual battle that occurs. Hiro found himself facing off the dog pair..who are bumping their noses together in a loving manner. He found out that the male dog is Dogamy and the female one is Dogaressa. They had their battle axes in front of each other, and noticed that the faces on the tops were faces of each other. Hiro saw that his options were Pet, Re-Sniff, and Roll Around. Hiro tried to pet Dogaressa, but Dogamy blocked him. They were too suspicious of his smell. In unison, both dogs swung their axes and Hiro ducked under them, rolling in the snow and dirt. Hiro dusted himself off then remembered the sign from before.

Hiro: Smell of rolling around means Puppy! _(goes to the floor and rolls around)_

Dogamy: No. 2 Nuzzle Champs '98!

Dogaressa: Of course we were second...  
  


Dogamy put his paw on his mouth and blew kisses at Dogaressa. It was cute for her, but not for Hiro as rings of cyan and white hearts went flying at him towards her. Hiro stopped moving around the cyan hearts and found himself between the pair again. They sniffed Hiro again and were taken aback by what they realized.

Dogamy: What! Smells like a...

Dogaressa: Are you actually a little puppy?!

Hiro: Uuh...Yeah!

Dogamy: Have we been fighting a lost puppy?

Dogaressa: Maybe..

Hiro _(pets them both)_ : It's okay.

Dogamy: Wow!! Pet by another pup!

Dogaressa: A dog that pets dogs.... Amazing!

Hiro: Y-Yeah, it is! _(spares them both and watches color return)_

Dogamy: Dogs can pet other dogs???

Dogaressa: A new world has opened for us...

Dogamy: Thanks, weird puppy!

Hiro: Welcome..?

Hiro watched the dog couple wander off mesmerized at the thought of dogs petting dogs. He was feeling a little confused at the thought, but shook it off and continued on. He came upon an arrangement of snow-covered stones, a large grey button, and a pair of blue Xs that are on the opposite sides of a center stone. He read the sign that was present and it states turning every X into an O before pressing the switch. Easy enough. Hiro simply stepped on the Xs, made red Os appear, and pressed the switch, turning the Os green. He soon heard a shout and turned to see Papyrus looking surprised.

Papyrus: HOW DID YOU AVOID MY TRAP?! AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, IS THERE ANY LEFT FOR ME???

Hiro _(confused)_ : Any left for you? What...?

Papyrus: YOU KNOW... MY ENTICING TRAP! THAT YOU SOMEHOW MADE PROGRESS FROM!

Hiro: …....Oh, that thing! Sorry..I was going to eat it but I couldn't, so I left it behind...

Papyrus: REALLY?! WOWIE..YOU RESISTED THE FLAVOR OF MY HOMECOOKED PASTA..JUST SO YOU CAN SHARE IT WITH ME???

Hiro: I...guess that's one reason...?

Papyrus: FRET NOT, HUMAN! I, MASTER CHEF PAPYRUS, WILL MAKE YOU ALL THE PASTA YOU COULD EVER WANT! HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH NYEH!

Hiro: I can't wait! _I hope it won't be frozen, though..._

Hiro followed Papyrus into the next area and found him standing near the entrance. Papyrus started talking about how Sans started a notebook collection, which was odd to him because he used to collect socks.

Papyrus: SOMETIMES I WONDER WHAT HE WOULD DO WITHOUT SUCH A COOL GUY TAKING CARE OF HIM???

Hiro: Sleep?

Papyrus: I KNOW, RIGHT? HE DOES THAT ON A DAILY BASIS! BUT I DO WORRY ABOUT HIM.

Hiro: Really?

Papyrus: YES. HE WAS ACTING SO STRANGE ONE DAY, LIKE HE DIDN'T EVEN RECOGNIZE ME! BUT AFTER A WHILE, HE WAS BACK TO NORMAL! SORT OF.

Hiro: Oh.

Papyrus: YES, BUT NOW AT LEAST HE SORT OF STOPPED LEAVING HIS SOCKS EVERYWHERE!

Hiro: Hahaha!

Papyrus: NYEH HEH HEH!

_(Hiro walks further and comes across a wide area that had more blue Xs and more stones arranged in a pattern)_

Hiro: Uuh...

Papyrus: HUMAN! HMM..HOW DO I SAY THIS... YOU WERE TAKING A LONG TIME TO ARRIVE, SO I DECIDED TO IMPROVE THIS PUZZLE BY ARRANGING THE SNOW TO LOOK MORE LIKE MY FACE! UNFORTUNATELY, THE SNOW FROZE TO THE GROUND. NOW THE SOLUTION IS DIFFERENT! AND, AS USUAL, MY LAZY BROTHER IS NOWHERE AROUND.

Hiro: He's not?

Papyrus: NO, HE'S PROBABLY OFF DOING WHO-KNOWS-WHAT. I SUPPOSE WHAT I AM SAYING IS... _(poses heroically)_ WORRY NOT, HUMAN! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL SOLVE THIS CONUNDRUM! THEN WE CAN BOTH PROCEED! MEANWHILE, FEEL FREE TO TRY THE PUZZLE YOURSELF! I'LL TRY NOT TO GIVE AWAY THE ANSWER!!

Hiro: Okay.

And try Hiro did. About four times before he eventually asked Papyrus for help. The answer he got was...

Papyrus: AND THE SOLUTION IS...

Hiro: Yes?

Papyrus: TO TURN ALL OF THE X'S INTO O'S! YOU SHOULD TRY THAT!

Hiro wanted to say how that wasn't helpful, but decided against it. He was starting to see how the puzzle worked and finally got it right, much to Papyrus's joy.

Papyrus: WOW!!! YOU SOLVED IT! MY ADVICE HELPED! IT REALLY HELPED YOU! YOU MUST CARE ABOUT PUZZLES LIKE I DO! WELL, I'M SURE YOU'LL LOVE THE NEXT PUZZLE THEN. IT MIGHT EVEN BE TOO EASY FOR YOU!! NYEH! HEH HEH! HEHEHEH!!

Hiro didn't really get a word in during Papyrus's excited rambling. He was about to move on when he spotted Sans ahead of him.

Sans: Good job on solving it by yourself. You didn't even need my help, which is great because I didn't have to do anything.

Hiro: Hmmm...

Sans: What is it?

Hiro: Nothing.

Sans: Ah.

Hiro walked off to the next where he stopped at a wooden bridge that lead to a large area with a bunch of squares that are various shades of grey and white. Papyrus was making last-minute adjustments on a machine that was metallic grey, had a red grid screen, a black panel with a few buttons, and four dials underneath. He was more shocked to find Sans by his brother and he knew that he didn't see the skeleton follow him from behind.

Hiro: HOW-

Papyrus: HEY, IT'S THE HUMAN! YOU'RE GONNA LOVE THIS PUZZLE! IT WAS MADE BY THE GREAT DR. ALPHYS! YOU SEE THESE TILES?!

Hiro: Yep.

Papyrus: ONCE I THROW THIS SWITCH, THEY WILL BEGIN TO CHANGE COLOR!

Hiro: Oooh!

Papyrus: EACH COLOR HAS A DIFFERENT FUNCTION! _(pulls out a piece of paper)_

Hiro: Uuh..

Papyrus: RED TILES ARE IMPASSABLE! YOU CANNOT WALK ON THEM! YELLOW TILES ARE ELECTRIC! THEY WILL ELECTROCUTE YOU!

Hiro: Uh..

Papyrus: GREEN TILES ARE ALARM TILES! IF YOU STEP ON THEM, YOU WILL HAVE TO FIGHT A MONSTER!

Hiro: But..I don-

Papyrus: ORANGE TILES ARE ORANGE-SCENTED. THEY WILL MAKE YOU SMELL DELICIOUS!

Hiro: And not a pup-

Papyrus: BLUE TILES ARE WATER TILES. SWIM THROUGH IF YOU LIKE, BUT IF YOU SMELL LIKE ORANGES, THE PIRAHNAS WILL BITE YOU.

Hiro: P-Pira-

Papyrus: ALSO, IF BLUE TILE IS NEXT TO A YELLOW TILE, THE WATER WILL ALSO ZAP YOU!

Hiro: I-

Papyrus: PURPLE TILES ARE SLIPPERY! YOU WILL SLIDE TO THE NEXT TILE! HOWEVER...

Hiro: Err...

Papyrus: ...THE SLIPPERY SOAP SMELLS LIKE LEMONS! WHICH PIRAHNAS DO NOT LIKE! PURPLE AND BLUE ARE OKAY!

Hiro: O-Ooh...

Papyrus: FINALLY, PINK TILES. THEY DON'T DO ANYTHING. STEP ON THEM ALL YOU LIKE. _(rolls up his paper)_ HOW WAS THAT?! UNDERSTAND?

Hiro _(completely overwhelmed and confused)_ : I...uh...hmm...yeah..of course...

Papyrus: GREAT! THEN THERE'S ONE LAST THING... THIS PUZZLE..IS ENTIRELY RANDOM!!!

Hiro: Oh no...

Papyrus: WHEN I PULL THIS SWITCH, IT WILL MAKE A PUZZLE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE! NOT EVEN I WILL KNOW THE SOLUTION! NYEH HEH HEH! GET READY...!

Everyone watched as the floor lit up and gradually change color. Hiro grew nervous as the color turning went faster. So many possibilities, and he would have to go through one of them. But when the puzzle suddenly stopped, it was a red area with just a pink stripe in the center. Hiro was stunned, Sans was trying to hold in his laugh, and Papyrus just spun away out of the area. Dazed, Hiro walked across the pink area to the other side as Sans forced his laugh down.

Sans: Oh man.

Hiro: That was really weird. I thought I had to do something hard. Like trying to stick a fork in that spaghetti...

Sans: Actually, that spaghetti from earlier, it wasn't too bad for my brother. Since he..uh...started cooking lessons, he's been improving a lot.

Hiro: Really? That's neat!

Sans: Yeah, I bet if he keeps it up, next year he'll even make something edible.

Hiro: ….Oh...

Sans: Yeah.

Hiro: Okay. _(walks backwards)_

Sans: What are you doing?

Hiro: ...Nothing.

Hiro kept doing this until he reached the next area where he spotted a multitude of snow sculptures of bent, straight, and curling pillars, and various piles of snow dogs in various expressions. He saw another dog sentry station and this one had a box of what Hiro read as “pomeraisins”. It took him a short while to get the pun.

Hiro _(sees a sign)_ : Aware of dog. Pleas...? Pleas pet dog. Okay.

Hiro was heading on when he met a young monster that looks like a deer faun wearing a purple crop top shirt with green diamonds and purple pants. He told him that he saw an inspired dog rushed through the area, building snow dogs in an attempt to convey its emotions. The faun had watched as the dog kept getting excited and its neck grew longer. He couldn't look away, as sad as it was. Hiro did remember petting a small armored dog several areas back. It was probably that one who built the sculptures. Hiro continued on after saving his “progress” and saw a large area of ice with blue Xs and a switch. It took him less times to figure this one out when he quickly discovered a pattern. At one time, he fell off the area to one below and landed in the snow. He saw a muscular snow Papyrus and a pile of snow with the word Sans written in red marker over a blotch of purple melted snow that looked stepped on and remade. Purple. Somehow Hiro wasn't sure of what's going on, but his incoming vision seems to.

???: _**That skeleton is not the same...**_

Hiro _(shakes his head to rid himself of the vision)_ : Not the same...? Hrm...

Hiro returned to the puzzle and solved it. He slid on the ice path past a long row of trees and came out with a tiny snow house on his head before it broke from his movement. Hiro went to the south and spotted Sans again. Hiro talked to him once before moving on to see what was there. He was creeped out by the pairs of eyes peering at him from the holes in the wall, not realizing that he bumped into a reindeer.

A reindeer with antlers that has green fur on the top two branches looking like pine trees, its mouth split in the center like its jaws are sideways rather than top to bottom, and its antlers has a photo, a candy cane, a small dog, and a box of raisins. It turns out that Gyftrot, Hiro checked, had been pranked by some teens and was decorated by them, as if he was a walking Christmas tree. During the battle while dodging thrown presents and tiny rings dropping from the sky, Hiro had been removing the items off of the deer monster until it felt a weight lifted off of it. He decided to leave some Gold as a gift for Gyftrot before sparing it. After the battle, Hiro saw Sans again. He figured he slipped by during his battle. Sans asked him if he was lost, but Hiro wasn't. He kept going and found a cave entrance. Inside the small cave, it was dark along the path, except for the light from the four groups of three mushrooms glowing a soft blue. Tiny ghostly sparkles floated around as he approached a door with a familiar symbol.

Hiro: Ah, that's the symbol Toriel has! Does it go to her place? _(tries to open the door, but it doesn't open)_ Huh... _(tries touching the mushrooms in various orders and decided there had to be a key)_ I gotta look for that.

Hiro left the cave and ran into Sans yet again and was told that must he like to exercise. Hiro decided to test something. He quickly turned around and ran the other way, seeing Sans again. He was asked again if he was lost, and Hiro told him no. Hiro figured Sans had some secret shortcut he was using and found him at the entrance of this area.

Sans: Say...Are you following me?

Hiro _(frowns)_ : Mrrrrr....

Ignoring Sans's quiet chuckling, Hiro found himself in the next area that had round snow piles. He realized that they were snow poffs, and even found 30G in one of them. He also spotted a tiny doghouse that wasn't like the sentry stations of the other dogs, and the sign by it just says “Woof”. Hiro spotted another snow poff at the exit and was about to touch it when a white tail popped out.

Hiro: Oh! _(sees the head of a white dog shake its way out of the poff and barks)_ Awww....such a cute dog! You wanna play? Let's pl- _(watches the dog stand up from the snow)_ -uuuuUUUHH....

Hiro wasn't sure if he wanted to play anymore. The small dog turned out to be huge compared to him, was wearing thick armor and carried a lance. He noticed there were dog faces on parts of its armor. Hiro checked his options in this gray-scale battle and they were Beckon, Pet, Play, and Ignore. He found that it was called Greater Dog, and it thinks fighting is just playing. Which it bounded at him with its spear and swung it while it flashed blue, prompting Hiro to stop moving. He noticed it was switching between blue and white, so he moved away and stopped when it was blue. For some reason, he smelled something odd...like freshly-squeezed puppy juice...? Hiro beckoned the dog and it bounded to him while flecking slobber in his face. Greater Dog started barking, its words flying at Hiro as he dodged. He did get hit by a word, but he was worried. He decided to pet the dog, and it rests it head on his lap as he did so before it fell asleep for a while.

Hiro: What a weird battle... _(jumps a little when it wakes up excitedly)_

The rest of the battle didn't even seem as such. It was just Hiro and Greater Dog playing around like a normal child would with a pet dog. Tossing snowballs, nearly getting covered in snow. After what felt like fifteen minutes, Hiro had spared Greater Dog. Color returned and Greater Dog had hopped out of its armor. It was still a large dog, but it was big enough to lick Hiro on his face. Hiro giggled to himself as he watched the dog march away upside down in its armor. Hiro followed the dog to the next area and arrived at a long wooden suspension bridge over an expansive chasm. He didn't want to cross it, but a freezing wind and the sight of lights from a nearby town forced him to go. He manages to get further in when he spotted the brothers.

Papyrus: HUMAN! THIS IS YOUR FINAL AND MOST DANGEROUS CHALLENGE!

Hiro: Oh no..

Papyrus: BEHOLD! THE GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR!

_(above the bridge came down a spike ball, a spear, and a white dog hanging on a rope by its midsection; below waits a cannon, a torch and another spear)_

Papyrus: WHEN I SAY THE WORD, IT WILL FULLY ACTIVATE! CANNONS WILL FIRE! SPIKES WILL SWING! BLADES WILL SLICE! EACH PART WILL SWING VIOLENTLY UP AND DOWN! ONLY THE TINIEST CHANCE OF VICTORY WILL REMAIN!

Hiro: Oh noooo.....

Papyrus: ARE YOU READY? BECAUSE! I! AM! ABOUT! TO DO IT!

_(nothing happens)_

Sans: ...Well, what's the hold-up?

Papyrus: HOLD-UP! WHAT HOLD-UP? I'M..I'M ABOUT TO ACTIVATE IT NOW! _(press the button; nothing happens; keeps pressing the button)_

Sans: That...uh...doesn't look very activated, bro.

Papyrus: WELL!! THIS CHALLENGE!! IT SEEMS...MAYBE....TOO EASY TO DEFEAT THE HUMAN WITH. YEAH! WE CAN'T USE THIS ONE!! I AM A SKELETON WITH STANDARDS! MY PUZZLES ARE VERY FAIR AND MY TRAPS ARE EXPERTLY COOKED! BUT THIS METHOD IS TOO DIRECT. NO CLASS AT ALL! _(looks away)_ AWAY IT GOES!

Hiro _(watches everything go away)_ : _I'm saved!_

Papyrus: PHEW! _(turns back to Hiro)_ WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?! THIS WAS ANOTHER DECISIVE VICTORY FOR PAPYRUS!! NYEH! HEH! _(looks confused)_ ...HEH??? _(sprints off)_

Hiro _(meets up with Sans)_ : That was close. Is there going to be another puzzle soon?

Sans _(shrugs)_ : I don't know what he's going to do now. I'm just glad that....

Hiro: Hmm?

Sans: ...If I were you, I would understand blue attacks.

Hiro: Okay. _(turns away and walks towards town)_

Sans _(furrows his bone brows)_ : …..

Hiro made it to an area that was a small town. “Snowdin Town”, the large welcome sign decorated in festive lights displayed. As a matter of fact, while Hiro strolled through the town, he was getting a huge festive feel. He decided to explore the town after saving his progress. He felt determined to do so when seeing such a friendly town....and hoping that the citizens are just as friendly. He entered the Shop and looked around. It was a small shop, but not too much. Lit up with a candle that gave a warm orange glow and casting a cool purple shadow on a tall rabbit woman running the shop. She is wearing a wide-brimmed hat, a black choker with three gold stones on it, a cami tank top with a black lace section, and blue straight-leg jeans. The three shelves behind her had various objects and knickknacks, bottles and books, even a small treasure box in one corner and a wall scroll with the same symbol he's seen before next to a closed door. There was a sweet cinnamon scent hanging in the air and a small cooler close to a long curtain that's likely to be used to hide the counter and everything behind it. Hiro also spotted the mate to his one glove and an orange bandanna. He had to get those.

RW: Hello, traveler. How can I help you?

Hiro: I want to get the Tough Glove and Manly Bandanna!

RW: Sure thing. _(gives Hiro the items after he pays for them)_ Thanks for your purchase.

Hiro _(notices a short list on the counter that shows 15G – Bisicle and 25G – Cinnamon Bun)_ : May I have one of those? The..the Bisicle and a Cinnamon Bun?

RW: Of course you can! _(gives the items)_

Hiro: Thank you!

RW: Welcome! _(studies Hiro)_ Hmm, I can't remember the last time I saw a fresh face around here. Where did you come from? The capital?

Hiro: I...don't know actually...

RW: Really? Well, you don't look like a tourist. Are you here by yourself?

Hiro: Yes. Um..is there anything to do here?

RW: You want to know what to do here in Snowdin? _(taps her chin)_ Well, Grillby's has food, and the library has information... If you're tired, you can take a nap at the inn. _(points at nothing to her left, Hiro's right)_ It's right next door – my sister runs it. And if you're bored, you can sit outside and watch those wacky skeletons do their thing. There's two of 'em. Brothers, I think.

Hiro: Wacky skeletons...Brot- Oh, you mean Sans and Papyrus?

RW: Yeah, them. They just showed up one day and...asserted themselves.

Hiro: Really?

RW: Yeah, the town has gotten a lot more interesting since then.

Hiro: Oh. ….I'm curious about something.

RW: Yes?

Hiro: The shorter one, Sans. Have you...noticed anything odd about him?

RW: Hmm...not really. He called me by a wrong name constantly at first. But after that, nothing. He was calling me Victoria. My name's Rowanda.

Hiro: Oh. I'm Hiro!

Rowanda: Nice to meet you, Hiro.

Hiro: So, um, I've never thought there'd be a town in a place like this. How did it get here?

Rowanda: You don't know? Think back to your history class... A long time ago, monsters lived in the Ruins back there in the forest. Long story short, we all decided to leave the ruins and head east for the end of the caverns. Along the way, some fuzzy folk decided they liked the cold and set up camp in Snowdin. As far as I know, the town was already here.

Hiro: Oh.

Rowanda: Oh, and don't think about trying to explore the Ruins. The door's been locked for ages. So unless you're a ghost or can burrow under the door, forget about it.

Hiro _(sweats nervously)_ : _I came from there....._

Rowanda: Something wrong?

Hiro _(shakes his head)_ : N-No! Nothing. So, how's life?

Rowanda: Life is the same as usual. _(frowns)_ A little claustrophobic... _(smirks)_ But...we all know deep down that freedom is coming, don't we?

Hiro: Freedom...

Rowanda: As long as we got that hope, we can grit our teeth and face the same struggles, day after day... _(shrugs)_ That's life, ain't it?

Hiro: I guess. I'm gonna go look around the town. It was nice talking to you.

Rowanda: All right. Bye now. Come back sometime!

After waving goodbye to Rowanda, Hiro left the shop and wandered further into town. He wasn't tired, so he skipped the Inn. He spotted an igloo next to the inn, and the sign by it mentions it being used to get from here to the other side of town. He'd think about using that later, he wanted to explore every part of Snowdin. He saw a white rabbit standing in front of what might be his house, watching a lady rabbit walking a smaller rabbit named Cinnamon on a leash and muttering about how creeped out he was by her, a polar bear placing a present under a tree mentioning how a group of teens decorated its tree-like horns. Hiro remembered removing a bunch of items from Gyftrot earlier. The polar bear went on to say how that inspired a tradition to put presents under a decorated tree.

Hiro _(studies the Christmas tree and presents)_ : _Like before Christmas... (circles around the tree; almost bumps into a little yellow dinosaur-like monster wearing a yellow and brown top and brown pants)_ Ah!

Monster Kid: Yo! You're a kid too, right?

Hiro: Yeah? How did you know?

MK: I can tell 'cause you're wearing a striped shirt.

Hiro: Oh. _(looks at his shirt as he wanders off; approaches the brown bear)_

The bear talked about how the town didn't have a mayor and if there were problems, a skeleton will tell a fish lady. Apparently, that's politics. Hiro paused to observe the building before him. It looked like a small restaurant and it had the word “Grillby's” in red lights above the five-paned window and awning over the entrance. Instantly feeling the warmth of the restaurant upon walking inside made Hiro wish he could never leave. It was ten times better than walking in the cold snow for an unknown amount of hours. The interior, though, looked less like a restaurant, and more like....something else that was on the tip of his tongue. Going from the right around, there are two booths, one occupied by a yellow rabbit that looked drunk whining about wanting new food and hot guys, the other by a Venus Fly Trap monster who wanted to try human food. Hiro wasn't sure if there was a real difference between human food and monster food. Along the long counter, a horse monster sitting on a bar stool by the jukebox was hoping that the arrival of those from the Capital won't ruin the local culture and wants to see them slip on the ice, a bird monster that seems to be a translator for the fire monster wearing a bartender's uniform, and a fish monster that Hiro, after being told about the fishing rod he found before, realized was the one who did so. The bird told Hiro that the dogs are part of an elite military group called the Royal Guard. The Royal Guard are led by someone named Undyne who was thought of as rude, mean, and likes to beat up those in her way. Hiro remembered that Papyrus wanted to join this group, and wondered if he would see him with them. Blocking the way to the back door and behind the counter is Lesser Dog who was playing Poker by itself _(and losing)_. Sitting at the large rectangular table are Doggo who wanted to get a spiked collar, Greater Dog who only barks an odd bark, and Dogamy and Dogeressa. Dogeressa wished the skeleton brothers would throw them a bone, and Dogamy warned him about Greater Dog jumping on him and giving lots of affection. They all look like they were taking a break from playing the game they had going. There was also a small table close to the window, too. Hiro wanted to stay in the restaurant, but...

Hiro: I have to go....but I wanna stay, it's so warm.... _(sighs)_ I hope I can come back here. _(leaves)_

Grillby: ...

Hiro left the restaurant back into the frigid air. He soon regretted it, but if he wanted to leave the Underground, he had to do this. But for now, he decided to explore more. He met a mouse monster wearing a green striped scarf and grey beanie cap. It was commenting on how everyone was laughing and joking around to escape their crises. Dreariness, crowding, lack of sunlight, it would have joined the others if it was funny. He also spoke to the tall smiling demonesque monster who says that the Underground has problems, but everyone smiles anyway.

Hiro: Why?

Demon Monster: Why? We can't do anything about it, so why be morose about it?

Hiro: Um... _Was it always that bad? (looks around) And I didn't even know there was no sunlight....._

Hiro had so many questions coming up in his head as he wandered among Snowdin. He entered a small building which he found was the library, which the librarian mentioned that they knew the sign outside was misspelled. Hiro didn't even notice. He spoke to the Loox who figured that Hiro had trouble with Junior Jumble, even though in Hiro's mind, he was bad at crosswords, too. He talked to the blond-haired uni-horned monster sitting by a brown-haired one. She told him she loved working on the newspaper, since there wasn't much to report on and having to add comics and games. The brown-haired one had become the No. 1 word search creator due to her being given some to work on by her teachers. Hiro noticed a wall of books and decided to read them. He started with the green books where a ladder is blocking the way and grabbed one to read. As he did, a section caught his attention.

Hiro: “Love, hope, compassion... This is what people say monster Souls are made of.” _(frowns)_ I thought monsters were made of gross and scary things. “But the absolute nature of “Soul” is unknown.” No one knows..? “After all, humans have proven their Souls don't need these things to exist.” ….We don't..? _(closes the book and puts it back; goes to the next shelf full of lime-colored books and picks one to read; notices the title)_ “Monster History Part 4”. Am I out of order? Hmm.. _(read through and catches a section)_ “Fearing the humans no more, we moved out of our old city, Home. We braved harsh cold, damp swampland, and searing heat until we reached what we now call our capital.” That place that one monster said? I wonder what it's like. “New Home.” Ah. “Again, our King is really bad at names...?” King.....Asgore? Toriel said Asgore would kill me. I hope not... _(puts the book up and goes to the orange ones; takes a book and reads a section)_ “Because they are made of magic, monsters' bodies are attuned to their Soul. If a monster doesn't want to fight, its defenses will weaken”. Like when the Froggit said before. “And the crueler the intentions of our enemies, the more their attacks will hurt us.”

_(a flicker of a glowing metal blade flashed in Hiro's vision)_

Hiro _(flinches)_ : …...Th...”Therefore, if a being with a powerful Soul struck with the desire to kill”.... ( _sees another flicker of a child smiling with a dusty knife)_ EEP!! _(drops the book before covering his mouth; sees the others stare at him before returning to their tasks; picks the book up and puts it back)_ If someone with a powerful Soul struck with the desire to kill...... _(feels a chill run down his spine)_ I'm not even outside.... _(goes to the yellow books and grabs one)_ “Here I am, writing this book. A person come in and pick up the book...” _(confused)_ “They start reading it...!” Eh?

Unihorn Monster: Oh, sorry. I'm still writing that one.

Hiro _(looks at her)_ : Okay. _(puts the book up and gets a blue book)_ “While monsters are mostly made of magic, human beings are mostly made of water.” _(pokes at himself before continuing)_ Humans, with their physical forms, are far stronger than us.” Hmm...maybe the adults are... “But they will never know the joy of expressing themselves through magic. They'll never get a bullet-pattern birthday card...” I want a bullet-pattern birthday card for my birthday. That sounds cool! _(puts the book back and grabs a red one; it looked like a book report about monster funerals)_ Monster funerals? “Monster funerals, tech....tech..ni..cal.ly...speaking, are cool as heck. When monsters get old and kick the bucket, they turn into dust.” So that's what happens to them when they...

_(a vision of a cloud of dust where a monster once was before a child appears)_

Hiro _(shakes his head)_ : Hmmmn... “At funerals, we take that dust and spread it on that person's favorite thing. Then their essence will live on in that thing...” ...Hmn... _(puts the book back)_

Hiro left the library with new information. He began to understand a little more about the situation that's occurring in the Underground, and it's not looking good. Not to mention, the visions returning to haunt him. He was about to move on to another place when he spotted a tall two-story wooden house next door. It was decorated with Christmas lights, a green wreath hanging on the front door, a balcony on the right side of the house, and a pirate flag waving proudly on the second floor roof. There are also two mailboxes, the left being overstuffed with mail and the right one being empty when Hiro looked inside. This one was labeled “PAPYRUS”, so he figured the other was Sans's.

Hiro: Papyrus's mailbox is empty. I should send him a mail, too.

He came across another igloo and a shed next to the house as well. He went inside the igloo and felt him sliding in a long distance.

Hiro: WHOOOOOOAAA!! _(falls out and finds himself )_ …......... _(goes back in)_

He did this a few times before moving on past what he assumed was Sans and Papyrus's house up the path past the library. He did notice the sign was indeed misspelled. Huh. He entered a new area where there are more houses, and three slime-like monsters, two blue and one green, are hanging out. The larger one has a mustache and the green one had a little red cap. The little ones were playing Monsters and Humans with the blue one asking if it was going to be the human again, and the bigger one was reminiscing about being young again and how the world felt boundless. Hiro walked up to one of the houses and knocked on the door. He had hoped the one behind the door would answer, but all he heard was odd noises in response to his “beautiful knock”. Hiro had to move away. He soon spotted a giant wolf standing on two legs throwing giant ice blocks into the water. He wanted to ask why it was doing this, but he couldn't get past the fence that surrounds the wolf and the brick structure that's churning out the ice. Hiro decided to move on to the northern most area and arrived at a river. There wasn't much here, but when he was about to leave, his phone rings, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin.

Hiro: WHO? _(takes out his phone and looks at the caller ID)_ Unknown... Hmmn.. _(answers)_ H..Hello..?

Voice: Hello! Can I speak to G......Wait a second. Is this the wrong number?

Hiro: Ah- _(hears music playing and moves his phone from his ear)_

Voice _(singing)_ : Oh it's the wrong number! The wrong number song! We're very very sorry that we got it wrong! Oh it's the wrong number! The wrong number song! We're very very sorry that we got it wrong! _(hangs up)_

Hiro: …..................What.

Hiro just stared at his phone in confusion. How did this person get his number? Wrong number song? And who is this “G” they asked for? What freaked him out the most was that the only number he had was Toriel's, and he hadn't been able to reach her. Hiro shoved his phone quickly in his pocket and left the area. By the time he reached the library, he was getting tired. He remembered Rowanda telling him about her sister's inn, and decided to go stay there. He used the igloo by the brothers' house to quickly go there and entered inside. Like most of the interiors of the buildings, everything is warm and inviting. The couch has some wear-and-tear, the welcome rug hag three little hearts on it, a tall floor lamp, a portrait of a landscape with a silhouetted building in the distance, stairs leading upstairs, a long counter with a book, and a pink rabbit wearing a yellow and blue dress along with a small white rabbit near her.

Pink Rabbit: Welcome to Snowed Inn! Snowdin's premier hotel! One night is 80G.

Hiro _(checks his Gold amount on his phone; was a few Gold short)_ : I almost have enough, but I don't....

PR: You don't even have 80G? Oh! You poor thing. I can only imagine what you've been through. _(holds her hand out to the stairs)_ One of the rooms upstairs is empty. You can sleep there for free, okay?

Hiro: Thank you! _(rushes upstairs)_

PR: What?

Hiro reached the second floor and tried the first door. It was unlocked and he was greeted with a small room with a small bed, a long rectangular rug with three hearts, a long rectangular table, a bedside table with a book, and a portrait of waves on a beach. Other than the musical snoring coming from the next room over, Hiro was more disturbed by the dream he had...

It was a foggy dream, but it looked like dust was falling like snow. A small child crying in a bed of flowers. Those flowers became dust. The dust became monsters then back again. It spread across the area around Hiro then exploded outward, a field of golden flowers sprouting in every direction. Two figures in the distance. One is a tall human, the other a tall goatlike monster. The human oddly looked like an older version of himself in hairstyle, but the face... Both figures' faces are covered in glitchy white smoke. Words that sounded like “….must reach....surface” and “….save you from...” were heard. The two figures became one and an enormous creature appeared before him, a monster with a human face and wings like two portals into space. It was reaching towards him with its large white paws before a black shadow burst forth and wrapped its “hands” around his neck. Its form was a viscous ooze dripping onto Hiro's Soul in an attempt to engulf and corrupt it. The ooze swirled around his body and became like chains, squeezing at every part of his body and his Soul. Hiro saw the face of his attacker and he saw a malevolent mirror of himself with four red glowing chains with a knife blade on the ends, and those blades are aimed at him. His Soul was about to be crushed when he woke up with a jolt and a scream as he tried to scramble his way back, only to hit his back on the headboard. It took him some time to calm himself down and wipe away any loose tears he cried before he finally got his bearings and patted himself down, making sure that what he saw in the dream didn't attach to him.

Hiro: Nothing.... _(pulls his knees to his chest)_ That was scary... What did they mean “….save you from...”? Save me from what...?

When he finally calm himself down, Hiro left the room. To his amazement, Pricia _(the rabbit innkeeper)_ told him that he must've had a nice sleep for someone who did so for two minutes. It did not feel like two minutes for Hiro. He talked to her child and he mentioned something about growing one's Maximum HP after sleeping before asking his mother about it. Hiro left the inn and felt that he had explored everything he could in Snowdin, except for that large house and which he soon found was locked. He soon moved on to the next area where he soon ran into a gradually increasing snowstorm. He was still cold despite his current clothing ensemble, and had to try to trudge through. He couldn't tell if he was getting close to leaving the storm when he heard heavy footsteps crunching in the snow, even with the sounds of snowflakes pelting his bare face and whistling winds. The visibility wasn't too blinded, it was just enough for Hiro to see a tall figure standing before him. The moment the figure spoke, he immediately knew who it was...

It was Papyrus.

As Hiro listened to his words, a terrible vision overwhelmed him. It was worse than when he fought Toriel. He saw himself facing Papyrus. The tall skeleton had his arms opened wide for the other self to accept his help with going back on the straight and narrow. The other self had a different idea. Hiro felt himself moving towards Papyrus, his hands balled into fists. He struggled with this controlling feeling, and the moment he felt his Soul leave his body, that control snapped and he regained himself, realizing the area is in gray-scale and Papyrus facing him in a battlefield. Hiro found himself floating in this battlefield and was able to avoid Papyrus's bones. Literal bones that are sliding under him. Hiro checked the skeleton and found that he likes to say “Nyeh heh heh”, hearing him saying his favorite laugh. Hiro then checked his options and was flabbergasted. “Insult” and....”Flirt”. He tried this with Toriel before and it was awkward. He didn't want to insult Papyrus, so flirting was his only option.

Hiro: You...You're a cute skeleton.

Papyrus _(surprised)_ : WHAT!? FL-FLIRTING?! SO YOU FINALLY REVEAL YOUR ULTIMATE FEELINGS!

Hiro: My what...?

Papyrus: W-WELL! I'M A SKELETON WITH VERY HIGH STANDARDS!!!

Hiro: Uuuh....umm... Oh! I can make spaghetti! _Kinda..._

Papyrus: OH NO! YOU'RE MEETING ALL MY STANDARDS!!!

Hiro: I am...?

Papyrus: I GUESS THIS MEANS I HAVE TO GO ON A DATE WITH YOU...?

Hiro: …......HUH?! Wait-

Papyrus: LET'S DATE L-LATER!! AFTER I CAPTURE YOU!

Hiro soon started to wonder what he got into. He pondered this as three more bones went under him unnoticed. Both parties were stuck thinking about various things. Papyrus thought about what to wear and cook for his date, and Hiro wondering how he ended up being asked for a date. He doesn't even know what it's to like to do that. He figured Papyrus might have some experience with it, so he might learn something for when he finds someone he likes one day. Hiro had noticed that the skeleton was dabbing really odd things around the area where his ears would be, only to realize he didn't even have ears. He decided to spare Papyrus, hopefully to end the battle, but...

Papyrus: THEN, LET'S SEE IF YOU CANHANDLE MY FABLED “BLUE ATTACK”!!

Hiro _(sees light blue bones coming at him)_ : Light blue! I have to wait. _(stays still in the air as the bones pass through his Soul)_ Heh, that was ea- _(feels a heavy weight on his Soul that pulled him out the air to the ground; a stray bone strikes him)_ OOWW!! Wha?! My Soul is....

Papyrus: YOU'RE BLUE NOW. THAT'S MY ATTACK!

Hiro stared at his Soul as he heard Papyrus's usual cackling. Instead of a normal red color, his Soul was a deep blue. He tried to float again, but he could only jump. This really worried him. As Papyrus resumed his thoughts on the future date, Hiro concentrated on jumping over the bones that were crawling towards him. He began to notice the skeleton was trying hard to play cool, and failing, claiming he's not thinking about the date thing.

He is.

Hiro soon had to jump over taller bones, a few of which he accidentally hit on his descent and ascent. He got better, but got extremely worried when Papyrus mentioned a special attack.

Hiro: What kind of special attack...? That don't sound good... _(jumps more bones)_

He watched Papyrus consider his options, like he's thinking about what to do next. He mentioned almost tasting his future popularity.

Hiro: _Future? He's not popular now? (jumps bones; almost caught off guard by a bone)_ Ah! _(sees Papyrus preparing a bone attack)_ Whhhyyyy....?

Papyrus: PAPYRUS, HEAD OF THE ROYAL GUARD!

Hiro _(keeps jumping over bones and between pairs of bones)_ : He wants to be that? _(lands on a bone at the end of a bone hill)_ Ack! _(hears Papyrus mention being an unparalleled spaghettore)_ A what? _(jumps past more bones, remembering to stop with the light blue ones)_

Papyrus _(rattles his bones)_ : Undyne will be proud of me!

Hiro: Undyne... _(jumps over several bone hills; hits one of them; hears Papyrus say something about the king trimming a hedge to look like his smile)_ Wha...?

Papyrus: MY BROTHER WILL...WELL...HE WON'T CHANGE MUCH.

Sans.

Hiro had been curious about the shorter skeleton's behavior since meeting him in the forest. He felt something...off...about him. Like something about him didn't match everything else. But those thoughts had to wait as he had to concentrate on the battle. He heard Papyrus state that he'll have lots of admirers, but...

Papyrus: WILL ANYONE LIKE ME AS SINCERELY AS YOU...?

Hiro _(surprised)_ : I think they will.

Papyrus _(whispers)_ : Nyeh heh heh!

Hiro did find Papyrus nice to be around, despite their current situation. Papyrus thought someone like Hiro was really rare, and figures that dating might be kind of hard. Hiro was still uncertain about the date thing, but he was going to see what it's like. Though, he wasn't too excited about the whole capturing part. He didn't want to know what happens if he was. Unless if what Toriel said was true. As the battle wore on and Hiro had to eat one part of the Bisicle, Papyrus started to ask Hiro to give up. Each time he did, Hiro refused to do so. He can't give up now. Papyrus got a little desperate each time, but Hiro jumped over many bones. This was the last straw.

Papyrus: HERE IT IS! MY SPECIAL ATTACK!

Nothing happened. Just the sounds of the wind, snowflakes, and crunching. Crunching? Both turned to the sound and saw a small white dog munching on a bone. Papyrus was the first to yell at the dog, startling Hiro.

Papyrus: WHAT THE HECK?! THAT'S MY SPECIAL ATTACK! HEY, YOU STUPID DOG! DO YOU HEAR ME?! STOP MUNCHING ON THAT BONE! _(sees the dog drag the bone away out of the battlefield)_ HEY!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!? COME BACK HERE WITH MY SPECIAL ATTACK!!! _(stares then sighs)_ OH WELL. I'LL JUST USE A REALLY COOL REGULAR ATTACK.

Hiro: Okay.

It was not okay.

If anything, the barrage of attacks Hiro had to go through were more like a special attack than whatever Papyrus tried to use before. Bones were coming from all sides. Big bones, little bones, light blue bones, white bones, a bone wearing sunglasses riding on a skateboard, that same dog from before, even the words “COOL DUDE” in bones went by. Then, with everything he had, Papyrus conjured a multitude of bones. Hiro was almost dumbfounded, but he took a running start. On the last step, Hiro launched himself as hard as he could over the bone sea. As he did, he felt like he was flying this time like before. On his descent, he nearly clipped his body on the giant bone that followed the bone sea, and landed as best he could. He then saw a small bone crawling slowly towards him, and he simply stepped over it, watching it disappear on the other side of the battlefield. He could hear Papyrus catching his breath _(?)_ and saying that Hiro couldn't defeat him. Even though he never hit him once. That was when Papyrus made his decision.

Papyrus: I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, ELECT TO GRANT YOU PITY!! I WILL SPARE YOU, HUMAN!! NOW'S YOUR CHANCE TO ACCEPT MY MERCY.

The moment Papyrus spared Hiro, another, more horrible vision came to mind. Papyrus had multiple lines and lacerations on his neck bones, his body disintegrating into dust and his head remained. Over the disembodied Papyrus's last words, that voice from before returned.

???: _**Now's your chance....to kill....**_

Hiro: Ah...

???: _**He's not worth it....He'll never be more than a forgettable pile of dust.**_

Hiro: N-No..He-

???: _**Who cares about this dumb skeleton? He's annoying, self-absorbed, and just plain pathetic....**_

Hiro: That's no reason to-

???: _**They're all going to die...one way or anot-**_

Hiro: SHUT UP!! _(punches the MERCY panel; sparing Papyrus as he feels the snowstorm die down and color returns after)_

Papyrus _(faces away from Hiro)_ : NYOO HOO HOO...

Hiro: Eh? Papyrus? _(runs to him)_ I wasn't mad at you, don't cry!

Papyrus: I KNOW, BUT IT'S NOT THAT. I CAN'T EVEN STOP SOMEONE AS WEAK AS YOU.. UNDYNE'S GOING TO BE DISAPPOINTED IN ME.

Hiro: You really must look up to her, huh?

Papyrus: YES, BUT NOW, I'LL NEVER JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD, AND...MY FRIEND QUANTITY WILL REMAIN STAGNANT!

Hiro: I don't know what that means, but I'll be your friend. _(holds his hand out)_ Let's be friends, Papyrus!

Papyrus: REALLY?! YOU WANT TO BE FRIENDS, WITH ME???

Hiro _(nods)_ : Yep!

Papyrus: WELL THEN...I GUESS... _(shakes Hiro's hand)_ I GUESS I CAN MAKE AN ALLOWANCE FOR YOU! WOWIE! WE HAVEN'T EVEN HAD OUR FIRST DATE, AND I ALREADY MANAGED TO HIT THE FRIEND ZONE!!!

Hiro: Yay!

Papyrus _(lets go)_ : WHO KNEW THAT ALL I NEEDED TO MAKE PALS WAS TO GIVE PEOPLE AWFUL PUZZLES AND THEN FIGHT THEM???

Hiro: I don't know...

Papyrus: YOU TAUGHT ME A LOT, HUMAN! I HEREBY GRANT YOU PERMISSION TO PASS THROUGH! AND I'LL GIVE YOU DIRECTIONS TO THE SURFACE.

Hiro: Yay! Thank you, Papyrus!

Papyrus: YOU ARE QUITE WELCOME, HUMAN! _(extends his hands past him)_ CONTINUE FORWARD UNTIL YOU REACH THE END OF THE CAVERN. THEN...WHEN YOU REACH THE CAPITAL, CROSS THE BARRIER. THAT'S THE MAGICAL SEAL TRAPPING US ALL UNDERGROUND. ANYTHING CAN ENTER THROUGH IT, BUT NOTHING CAN EXIT... ...EXCEPT SOMEONE WITH A POWERFUL SOUL....LIKE YOU!

Hiro: _So that's why no one can leave... Can I..?_ Okay. _(realizes something)_ A powerful Soul? Me?

Papyrus: YEP, THAT'S WHY THE KING WANTS TO ACQUIRE A HUMAN.

Hiro paled. Was this really what Toriel meant when the others had left and died? He suddenly didn't want to meet the King...

Hiro: Wh...Why does he want a human?

Papyrus: HE WANTS TO OPEN THE BARRIER WITH SOUL POWER. THEN US MONSTERS CAN RETURN TO THE SURFACE!

Hiro: Oh...

Papyrus _(frowns)_ : OH, I ALMOST FORGOT TO TELL YOU...

Hiro: Wh-What..?

Papyrus: TO REACH THE EXIT, YOU WILL HAVE TO PASS THROUGH THE KING'S CASTLE.

Hiro _(becomes nervous)_ : R-Really..?

Papyrus: YES.. THE KING OF ALL MONSTERS...

Hiro: Ah...

Papyrus: HE IS..

Hiro _(swallows then lets out a whimper)_ : Hmmn...

Papyrus: ...WELL....

Hiro: Well...?

Papyrus: HE'S A BIG FUZZY PUSHOVER!!!

Hiro _(falls forward)_ : Awaa! _(stands up)_ P-Pushover?!

Papyrus: YEAH! EVERYBODY LOVES THAT GUY! I AM CERTAIN IF YOU JUST SAY, “EXCUSE ME, MR. DREEMURR... CAN I PLEASE GO HOME?” HE'LL GUIDE YOU RIGHT TO THE BARRIER HIMSELF!

Hiro: …....Okay.

Papyrus: ANYWAY!! THAT'S ENOUGH TALKING!!! I'LL BE AT HOME BEING A COOL FRIEND!! FEEL FREE TO COME BY AND HAVE THAT DATE! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!!!

Hiro watched as Papyrus skipped away in the air somehow, and was left to his thoughts. The king of all monsters, Asgore, Mr. Dreemurr, breaking the barrier with Soul Power? This new information both shed a new light on Hiro's dilemma and confused him even more. Toriel made Asgore out to be some evil being who wanted to kill, yet Papyrus made him sound like the nicest guy in the world. And the monsters are trapped by a barrier unless Soul Power is used to break it? Did something really happen to the other humans like the stories say? And why did it feel like someone was pulling on him to hurt Papyrus? Too many questions flooded his mind, so he decided to go see Papyrus to forget these questions.

Unbeknownst to Hiro, a certain skeleton was hiding in the forest nearby. He saw the entire battle and exchange afterwards. He had just put away a purple notebook inside his parka and watched Hiro head back into town, his face relaxing from what look like remnants of a grimace.

Tether: So far, so good. Things are going good....for now. Perhaps....this time... _(walks behind a tree; a whooshing sound is drowned out by a stray wind)_

~~TO BE CONTINUED~~


	3. LINE 3: WATERFALL WISHES

~~LINE 3: WATERFALL WISHES~~

It was something that Hiro would never have expected when he visited Papyrus for their “date”.

He had decided to take up on the tall skeleton's invitation for the date, and met him at his and Sans's house. Papyrus was happy to see Hiro and thought he was serious about the upcoming meeting. Hiro was not sure if he was serious about this as well, but when Papyrus led him to somewhere he liked to spend his time at, he thought it was at Grillby's. It was at his own house. Before he could say anything, Papyrus rushed inside excitedly. A bit dumbfounded, Hiro entered inside after him. The interior of the house had a simplistic style to it. The living room was large and the carpet was in blue and purple waves. There is a long green threadbare couch along the maroon wall, and a large flat TV sitting on a brown shelf. There was also a rock covered in sprinkles on a table near the front door. Papyrus mentioned it was Sans's pet rock. He found it was strange that his brother hadn't fed it at all since that odd day, but he started to do so after a while. Sans did still forget to do it on most days, so he had to do it himself. The room is connected to a wide kitchen where a stove is closer to the door by two counters, a tall sink with a step stool, and a refrigerator. Papyrus had increased the height of the sink for the purpose of fitting more bones inside. Hiro opened the cabinet door to find the same dog from his fight with Papyrus chewing on a bone. Before they could catch it, the dog bolted out of the door with the last bone. To top the failure off, the sound of a trombone rang out from the upper level. Apparently, Sans had been plaguing Papyrus's life with incidental music, and Hiro just got an example of one. Hiro went back to the kitchen and took a look inside the refrigerator. While Papyrus proudly mused over his “food museum”, all Hiro saw was half of the fridge filled with spaghetti-filled containers and the other half having a pair of a near-empty bag of chips and a near-empty bottle of grape juice. Hiro closed the fridge and stopped by the trash can, which Papyrus had invited him to visit at any time.

He didn't want to.

He moved over to the stove and Papyrus explained that while Sans always went out to eat, he had tried to bake something like a quiche, but with a sugary, non-egg substance. Hiro thought it was a cake at first, but cakes had eggs in them, too. Maybe. Hiro left the kitchen and noticed a series of notes next to the TV stand. It looked like a banter between the two brothers in which Papyrus was trying to get Sans to pick up his sock. Seeing as the sock is not here, Sans may have picked it up at some point. He moved on to the TV and turned it on, the current channel showing a message about there being a new program and the initials MTT displayed on. Papyrus wasn't too happy about that. Hiro went to the couch and sat down for a bit, hearing a faint jangling sound. He stood up and investigated it to find 20 G in it. He thought about putting the money back before noticing a book sitting on a small round table by the couch. He picked up the book, and found it was a joke book. He looked inside and it turned out to be a quantum physics book. He looked in that book and found another joke book. Inside that was another quantum physics book. He had to put the books down.

Hiro made his way to a flight of stairs to two more doors and a large portrait of a single bone. The left door has a stop sign, yellow police tape crossing diagonally from top right to bottom left, two red dots near the top right, a horizontal yellow line that is broken by the doorknob, and a sign showing “PAPYRUS'S ROOM” on it. The right door just has a pair of real thick chains crossing the door in an X. Strangely, a flicker of a vision didn't match what was displayed before him. In Hiro's vision, there were no chains on the door. Papyrus explained that he saw Sans putting them up on his door one day. Sans told him he wanted to decorate his own door like he did, and Papyrus was pleased about him doing this. Hiro was asked by Papyrus if he was ready to go inside his room and do whatever it was that people do on dates, and he said yes. He followed Papyrus inside and was surprised at what he saw.

The room was very wide, and very cool in Hiro's opinion. He notices the room's walls and carpet are the same as the rest of the house. Going from the right around, there is a box of bones sitting by the door, a brown desk with an old computer system _(complete with a bulky monitor, keyboard, wired mouse and tower)_ , a door that looked to lead to a closet, a large bookcase almost filled to the brim with books, a pirate flag with a few notes underneath, a large rectangular table with various action figures, and a red car bed. There is also a wide deep purple rug with flames rising from the edges inward. When Hiro approached the box of bones, Papyrus explained that they were the attacks he used in battle. He mentioned about having a particular attack that he thought about using, but decided not to. On the computer, a social media web page was displayed, and Papyrus boasted about being a dozen away from a double-digit follower count. He then complained about how an online troll was pestering him with puns in a funny font. Hiro had some idea of who that could be. He moved over to the closet and looked inside to see Papyrus's clothes neatly hung up. He made a comment about how there were no skeletons in the closet unless he was in it, and this made Hiro snicker. Hiro looked at the bookcase where Papyrus told about his two favorite books: Advanced Puzzle Construction For Critical Minds and Peek-A-Boo With Fluffy Bunny. This caught Hiro off guard.

Hiro stepped up to the pirate flag hanging on the wall, and Papyrus mentioned that it was found in the bay by Undyne and explained his theory on how humans may have descended from skeletons. Hiro wasn't sure if he should tell the taller skeleton about what he learned about the basic human body, since he's read books on it. Hiro's attention was drawn to the action figures on the table, Papyrus stated that he used them in theoretical battle scenarios and received them from Santa. Hiro's eyes lit up at the thought that Santa Claus may actually be real and was nice enough to even visit the monsters. Hiro finally reached the car bed, and Papyrus wistfully spoke about his dream of driving down a long highway when he gets to the surface. At that point, Hiro had a vision flicker in where Papyrus's neck was severed with multiple slash marks covering his neck like his scarf. The vision left Hiro shaking as Papyrus tried to ask him if he was okay. He told him he was fine and that he was ready for their date.

Papyrus: OKAY! DATING START!!!

Papyrus's room suddenly went gray-scale, and at first this worried Hiro because this usually happens during battles. But Papyrus wasn't attacking him, so it was okay. Papyrus admitted that he's never done this before -neither has Hiro- but he was prepared as he pulled a small book out of his pocket. It was an official dating book from the library, and the first step was to activate the Dating HUD. Hiro took out his phone, but the only way to activate it was by pressing a “C” key. He figured it must be the “1” button on his phone, so he pressed it. It worked. Five panels came into view around the pair: a crescent moon with “SUN” by it, a tri-colored gauge with the words “Reel It In!” above it, a Population square with a line peaking and dropping, a circle radar with an image of a dog blinking on screen, another square with “Crime” on it that has four diamond-shaped blobs pulsing, and an egg. Hiro didn't know what to make of this display, and the only thing that made sense was the time of day. It was Sunday night? Papyrus then began Step 2, which was to ask someone out on a date. He asked Hiro and he agreed, receiving the most sparkling look on Papyrus's face that seemed impossible on a normal human skull. But Hiro remembered that Papyrus is a monster, so the look may work for him. How cute! Now for Step 3, which was to put on nice clothes to show one cares. This caught Papyrus by surprise. He noticed Hiro's bandanna around his neck and was shocked to see him wearing clothing, even from earlier today. He asked if Hiro wanted to date him from the very start.

Hiro _(confused)_ : I......Yes...?

This shocked Papyrus to the point where the Dating HUD vanished. Hiro planned it all along?!

Hiro _(flabbergasted)_ : Wha...No, I didn't!

Papyrus: YOU'RE WAY BETTER AT DATING THAN I AM!!!

Hiro: No, I'm not!

Papyrus: N-NOOOOOO!!! YOUR DATING POWER...!!!

Hiro: I have a Dating Pow- _(sees a blue bar pop up above Papyrus's head that filled a quarter of the way)_ Uuh...

Papyrus smirked at Hiro as the Dating Power bar went away, and a new rectangular box labeled “Tension” with a red line sporadically rising and falling appeared. He bragged about never been beaten at dating, and Hiro wondered how that worked if they both never dated until now. He also mentioned about having special clothes under his regular ones. Hiro became interested in that, and Papyrus rushed off to his closet. Some shuffling of clothes later, and Papyrus returned wearing a baseball cap sideways, a white shirt with the words “COOL DUDE” on it, sleeves designed like basketballs, shorts, knee-high socks, and sneakers. Hiro agreed to what the shirt says and thought that Papyrus looked pretty cool in it. He loved it. Receiving such a compliment shocked the tall skeleton as the Dating Power bar rose a lot more. But it wasn't enough and it dropped a little. Papyrus stated that date won't escalate further unless Hiro could find the secret to his outfit. Hiro started with the shoes but that was wrong as Papyrus started talking about how human Souls are stronger than monster Souls. Shoe soles are about the same. Hiro tried his pants and got a retort about how the skeleton worked out his legs. Hiro then held Papyrus's hand which made him blush somehow, yet the tall one resisted the urge to tell the boy his secret. Hiro noticed something odd about Papyrus's shirt and was told how it didn't have anything on it before, and gave Hiro a tip on how clothes can be altered that way. Hiro's Soul touched Papyrus's arm and got a remark about him caressing his biceps with a floating heart. Hiro got to the hat and Papyrus mulled over it for a bit before revealing what was underneath. It was a present sitting on Papyrus's head. Hiro opened it to find...whatever it was in it. It turned out to be silken spaghetti that is finely aged in an oaken cask according to Papyrus. Hiro thought it sounded really yummy and decided to take a small bite.

Any words that Hiro may have had about the spaghetti in his mind were gone in an instant.

There was nothing in the entire world that could describe the taste Hiro had just experienced from taking that bite. He felt like crying because he couldn't figure out how to describe what he just ate. He couldn't even decide if he should swallow the spaghetti or spit it out. Hearing Papyrus compliment his “passionate” expression made Hiro chose the former option. His face was more of pain _(in pain)_ than passion. Hiro now understood what Sans meant by his brother being able to make something edible by next year. Papyrus mentioned that Hiro must have loved his cooking and by extension, him. Hiro liked the skeleton, but his cooking, not so much. This wave of Dating Power overloaded the bar and overwhelmed Papyrus as the area went white around them. Papyrus believed that what Hiro had done so far was for his sake and he was ready to confess his feelings. That is, if he didn't feel awkward about it. But in the end, he wasn't able to reciprocate Hiro's “feelings” for him. Papyrus had assumed that when Hiro flirted with him, they were supposed to go on a date and the feelings between them would blossom, but it didn't turn out that way. He felt that it was his fault for dragging Hiro into the dark prison of passion and failed at the task at hand. Hiro was going to say something, but Papyrus decided to cheer the boy up and help him settle for second best. After that, Papyrus left the room, only to return and ask Hiro to exchange phone numbers with him. Papyrus gave him his number, but Hiro didn't get to give his before Papyrus ran off again as the room returned to color.

Hiro _(at an entrance on the outskirts of Snowdin)_ : That was really weird. Are all dates like that? ….Hmm..

Hiro couldn't stand in one place for long. After recounting the “date” with Papyrus, he walked ahead into the next area. He could hear the rushing water echoing from within as he moved away from the icy world that enveloped the little town. To Hiro's joy, it was getting a little more warmer further in, so he won't have to worrying about nearly freezing to death. Hiro meandered into the watery cavern as he watched a few giant ice cubes floating by in the river and a few small waterfalls pouring from the ceiling. He soon arrived at an area where an orange fish monster wearing black sunglasses and a light blue sleeveless shirt with an orange fish on it, a blue flower, a Save star, Sans and his station blocking what looks like a pair of doors, and the monster kid from Snowdin are present. Hiro talked to the orange fish who told him that the blue flower by it is called an Echo Flower and it repeats the last thing it heard over and over. Hiro touched the flower, it said the exact same thing the orange fish said. He talked to the monster kid and was asked if he was sneaking out to see “her”.

Hiro: Her? Uh...yeah?

MK: Awesome! She's the coolest, right?! I wanna be just like her when I grow up.. Hey, don't tell my parents I'm here. Ha ha.

Hiro: Okay... _Who is he talking about??_

He went over to the Save Star and saved his progress. When he closed the panel, he could have sworn he caught Sans looking away out of the corner of his eye. As odd as that was, he didn't think much of it since he was playing more attention to the sound of the rushing water from the waterfall that the monster kid was standing by. Hearing it filled him with determination.

Hiro _(walks up to Sans's station)_ : Hi, Sans! _(notices the snow on top of the station)_ Err...why is there snow on your station thing?

Sans: Because it looks cool.

Hiro: Won't it melt?

Sans: Nah, it's frozen in place, so there's snow problem with it falling off.

Hiro: Ah. _Wait, did he just... (shakes his head)_ Um, so what are you doing here? I thought you were at the station in the snow place.

Sans: What? Haven't you seen a guy with two jobs before?

Hiro: No.

Sans: Huh, well, it means I can take twice as many legally-required breaks. I'm going to Grillby's. Want to come with?

Hiro: Yeah!

Sans: All right, I'll pry myself away from my work. _(leaves the station and walks ahead of Hiro towards the opposite of Snowdin; nods his head in that direction)_ Over here. I know a shortcut. _(walks away with Hiro following him)_

Hiro _(enters the shadows)_ : Wait, isn't this the wrong- _(appears in Grillby's as Sans closes door behind them)_ -way..... Huh?? _(looks around confused)_ _What? What?!_ How...wha...?

Sans: Fast shortcut, huh? _(turns to the crowd)_ Hey, everyone.

Dogamy: Hey, Sans.

Dogeressa: Hi, Sans.

Venus Flytrap Monster: Greetings, Sans.

Spiral-eyed Bunny: Hiya, Sansy~!

Fish Monster: Hey, Sans, weren't you just here for breakfast a few minutes ago?

Sans: Nah, I haven't had breakfast in at least half an hour. _(winks)_ You must be thinking of brunch.

Hiro _(hears everyone laughing)_ : …...I don't get it...

Sans _(points to the barstool)_ : Here, get comfy.

Hiro _(sits on the bar stool)_ : Ok- _(hears a loud farting sound erupt from his seat; blushes furiously as he hears some monsters having a hard time containing their laughter)_ ….

Sans: Whoops, watch where you're sitting. Sometimes weirdos put whoopee cushions on the seats.

Hiro _(glares at Sans)_ : You...

Sans: Anyway, what do you want? Fries or burger?

Hiro: Um...fries!

Sans: That actually sounds like a good idea. _(gives a little wave at Grillby)_ Grillby, we'll have a double order of fries, if you please.

Grillby _(nods)_ : …. _(walks to the back room)_

Sans _(scratches his chin)_ : So...What do you think...

Hiro: Huh?

Sans: ...Of my...brother?

Hiro: Hmmm... I think he's cool.

Sans: Heh, of course he's cool. Anyone would be if they wore what he's wearing. He only takes it off if he absolutely needs to. At least he washes it.

Hiro: Ah.

Sans: And by that, I mean while in the shower.

Hiro: Wha...really?

Sans: Yep.

Hiro: Hahaha, that's so silly!

Sans: Haha, yeah, it is.

Grillby _(walks back out with two order of fries and gives them to Hiro and Sans)_ : ….

Sans: Ah, here they come. Thanks.

Hiro: Thank you!

Sans _(holds a bottle of ketchup)_ : Want some ketchup?

Hiro: Yes.

Sans: Here you go. Bone appetite...

Hiro: Thanks! _(holds the bottle over his fries; the cap comes off and all of the ketchup in the bottle poured out)_ Ah.

Sans: Whoops.

Hiro: ….

Sans: Don't worry about it. You can have mine if you want.

Hiro: No, I'll....eat this.

Sans: ...All right. _(eats a fry)_ Anyway, cool or not, you have to admit that Papyrus tries real hard. Especially when he tries to join the Royal Guard.

Hiro _(scrapes the excess ketchup off of every fry he eats)_ : He did say he wanted to join.

Sans: Yep. One day, he went to the house of the Royal Guard Captain and begged her to let him join.

Hiro: Her... _The “her” that monster kid talked about?_

Sans: Of course, she shut the door on him because it was midnight. _(eats a fry)_ But when she woke up the next day, she found him still sitting outside waiting for her. Seeing his dedication, she decided to give him training. It's a..uh..work in progress, but it's better than nothing.

Hiro: That's cool.

Sans: Yeah. _(stuffs his mouth with fries)_

Hiro: ? _Nothing's falling out of his skull? (tries to look under Sans's skull, but stops himself)_

Sans: Oh, I was going to ask you something right quick. _(makes a slight swiping motion with his hand then snaps his fingers; the area snapped into darkness except for light focused on him and Hiro)_

Hiro _(sees everyone frozen in the darkness)_ : Aah?! Wha-?

Sans _(moves his carton of fries away from him and leans on the counter, his arms crossed)_ : Hey...have you heard of a talking flower?

Hiro: Um... _Does he mean Flowey? That's the only one I know. (nods)_ Yes.

Sans: So you do know all about it, huh? …...The echo flower.

Hiro: Huh? That blue flower by your station?

Sans: Yep. They're all over the marsh. Say something to them, and they'll repeat it over and over again.

Hiro: Yeah, that orange fish showed me. What about it?

Sans: What about it? Hm, Papyrus told me something rather interesting recently. Sometimes, when he's alone, a flower appears and whispers things to him. Flattery...advice...encouragement.... _(tightens his fist on his jacket sleeve)_ ...predictions.... _(loosens it; glancing at Hiro)_ Strange, right? Someone must be usin' an echo flower to mess with 'im. If only...

Hiro: If only what?

Sans: ...heh... Keep an eye out, okay?

Hiro _(nods)_ : Okay.

Sans: Thanks. _(_ _snaps his fingers,_ _time resumes as the darkness faded, everyone starts moving again)_ ….sigh..... _(slides off the bar stool)_ Welp, that break took forever. Can't believe you dragged me from work this long.

Hiro: But you wanted to come here.

Sans: True. Uh, by the way...

Hiro: Yeah?

Sans: Hmmm....never mind. _(digs in his pocket and pulls out change for the meals)_ Thanks for the meal.

Hiro: Ah, what about yours?

Sans: I'm not really too hungry now. I might get something later.

Hiro: Oh.. _(watches Sans walk away)_

Sans _(stops near the door, then turns back to Hiro)_ : Actually....

Hiro: Huh?

Sans _(stares, then shakes his head)_ : Nah, it's nothing. I was going to say something, but it's not coming to mind. See ya. _(leaves)_

Hiro: ….. _(turns back to his food and almost finishes it and Sans's)_

After eating, Hiro chatted with the patrons in the restaurant. There was a lot of positive feedback about the shorter skeleton, but there were also a few words about his initial behavior. Grillby, or the bird who is translating for him, mentioned how Sans usually has a huge tab that he hasn't bothered to pay, but one day out of the blue, he started paying it off little by little. Hiro didn't really see this as strange, but he did remember catching Sans looking unhappy while talking about the talking flower. Was it really someone using an echo flower or was it Flowey? He wasn't sure, but he hoped to find out soon. Hiro left the building and returned to where Sans was at, waved at him, then moved further in the cavern. According to the Save Star, this is Waterfall. Hiro approached a box with a sign from someone who hated boxes and put away his excess items in case he found anything new while traveling through the area. He continued on until he reached a large boulder-filled waterfall that split the path ahead of him. As he watched the boulders falling and rolling in the water, he noticed a walkway heading away from the waterfall and wandered over. It lead to a rectangular pier where a branched-off portion has an echo flower. He went over to it and touched it.

Echo Flower: I swore I saw something...behind that rushing water...

Hiro: It must be talking about this waterfall... Right? _(walks to it and steps through the waterfall, getting doused)_ GAAH, pffft!! _(notices a camera in front of him)_ Huh? A camera? _(taps the lens)_ Heellllooooooo? Why is there a camera here? Do you know? Hmm.. _(leaves from behind the waterfall)_ That was weird. _(walks back up the pier to the upper level and checks the second waterfall after nearly getting hit by falling boulders)_ I don't like that... _(notices he's in a small room with a few mushrooms and a pink item near the back of the area)_ What's that? _(goes to it and picks it up)_ Looks like that thing ballerinas wear....a tutu? _(shakes it and dust get flung in puffs)_ Eh? Dust? It must be pretty old. _(shakes it some more then holds on to it)_ I wonder if I should wear it... _(leaves the waterfall, getting doused again)_ Ugh....

Hiro left the waterfall while avoiding the boulders falling from above and continued onward. He walked towards a large patch of tall grass and pushed his way through it. He was halfway in the brush when he heard a familiar voice from above him. Hiro glanced up to see an armored figure with something red flowing from the top of its head and, to his surprise, Papyrus speaking to the person.

Papyrus _(nervous)_ : H...HI, UNDYNE... I'M HERE WITH MY DAILY REPORT....

Hiro: _That's Undyne...? And Papyrus...? Why's he here?_

Papyrus: ...REGARDING THAT HUMAN I CALLED YOU ABOUT EARLIER...

Undyne _(turns to Papyrus)_ : …..............

Papyrus: HUH? DID I FIGHT THEM? _(poses bravely, but tries to look unnerved)_ WHY, YES I DID! I FOUGHT THEM VERY VALIANTLY!

Undyne _(turns away from him)_ : ….........................

Papyrus: …..WHAT? DID I CAPTURE THEM...? _(twiddles his thumbs)_ W-W-WELL... _(glances at Undyne)_ NO. I TRIED VERY HARD, UNDYNE, BUT IN THE END...I FAILED...

Hiro: ….

Undyne _(turns to Papyrus again before looking away)_ : …...................

Papyrus _(shocked)_ : ….W-WHAT..? YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE THE HUMAN'S SOUL YOURSELF.... _(walks up to Undyne pleadingly)_ B-BUT UNDYNE, YOU DON'T H-HAVE TO DESTROY THEM! YOU SEE... YOU SEE...

Undyne _(stomps up to Papyrus; causing him to flinch back)_ : …..............................................!

Papyrus _(looks down)_ : …...I UNDERSTAND. _(faces Undyne)_ I'LL HELP YOU IN ANYWAY I CAN... _(walks away anxiously)_

Hiro: Poor Papyrus... That's Undyne, huh? Looks really scary. _(pushes some grass away for a few steps)_ I better go- _(hears the sound of armor clanking close to the edge of the cliff; freezes in his place)_

Hiro's body felt like a statue when he heard Undyne approaching the cliff's edge. He was only able to move his head just enough to see Undyne conjure an aquamarine-colored glowing spear in their hand. As the armored knight scanned the area, Hiro was struggling to keep still. He felt himself nearly tipping over, but luckily, he heard Undyne leaving. When he felt that it was safe to move, Hiro dashed out of the grass brush, and tried to calm his nerves. He spotted a Save Star ahead of him before hearing the grass rustling behind him. He turned to see the monster kid running out in excitement.

MK: Yo... Did you see the way she was staring at you..?

Hiro: Yeah...

MK: That...was AWESOME!

Hiro: Eh?

MK: I'm SOOOO jealous! What'd you do to get her attention?!

Hiro: Her? I don't know. I hope I didn't get her attention....

MK: Ha ha... C'mon! Let's go watch her beat up some bad guys! _(takes off running; trips then face-plants to the floor; gets up then runs off)_

Hiro: Ah. Beat up bad guys? I hope I'm not one of them. _(goes to the Save star and saves)_ I'm not a bad guy.... _(a faint vision of himself flickered in his mind)_ I'm not....

A heavy feeling of dread hung over Hiro, but if he wanted to leave the Underground, he had to stay determined. Thinking about that goal did the trick. Hiro arrived in the area where he saw a waterfall with no way to cross, four plants that are a small pink bud with four leaves in a small corner, a bridge leading to a much larger area that Hiro was unable to tell much of.

Hiro: How am I gonna go there? _(sees a stone sign with a black surface and blue words written on it on the wall)_ “When...four Bridge Seeds...um...align...in the water, they will sprout.” Bridge Seeds? _(walks up to the plants)_ These thingies? _(picks one up by the leaves and drags it to the water)_ Huge! _(throws it in the water and waits for it to sprout; nothing happens)_ Hmm...It needs the others.... _(goes back and drags the others one by one to the water; sees the blossom)_ Yes! So cool... _(trots across the bridge and sees the wider area)_ More Bridge Seeds. I get it now!

Before he was able to go further, an odd neighing sound rang out. From around the corner came a monster that is half-horse, half...fish? It had a horse's head on a bodybuilder's torso, big muscles, a tail with five spots on the sides, and a flat fin with an eye-like shape on it. The horse fish monster was flexing his arms as the area went gray-scale. Hiro checked the monster, found he was called Aaron, and had the options Flex and Shoo present. Hiro tried Flex and copied what Aaron was doing by flexing his arms, trying to make his little muscles show. Aaron flexed twice as hard and they both felt their strength increase.

Aaron: Flexing contest? OK, flex more. ;)

Hiro: Okay! _(sees a series of flexing arms coming towards him)_ Aah! _(dodges them)_ Phew. _(flexes harder as Aaron does it thrice as hard)_ Oh, whoa..

Aaron: Nice!! I won't lose tho. ;)

Hiro _(dodges the arms again, but gets hit at the last second)_ : Ahh! _(flexes harder)_ Hrrrgh!

Hiro and Aaron flexed. Aaron flexed so hard, he ascended from the battlefield. Hiro just floated there in surprise.

Hiro: ...Was that too much? _(floats back down as the area returned to color)_

Hiro came across four more Bridge Seeds and a bell on the far wall with a sign saying that if an error was made, the Bell Blossom will call them back. Hiro tried them out a few times in different areas _(even the spot near a sign by the entrance that tricked him)_ until he was able to use them at the large exit by the Bell Blossom. Once he solved it and crossed the flowers, his phone rang. Hiro saw that it was Papyrus and answered it.

Hiro: Hello?

Papyrus: HELLO! THIS IS PAPYRUS!!!

Hiro _(has the phone away from his ear)_ : H-Hi, Papyrus. Um...how did you get this number? I didn't give mine to you after the...uh..date.

Papyrus: HOW DID I GET THIS NUMBER? IT WAS EASY! I JUST DIALED EVERY NUMBER SEQUENTIALLY UNTIL I GOT YOURS!! NYEH HEH HEH HEH!!

Hiro _(stares at his phone incredulously)_ : Wha....

Papyrus: SO....WHAT ARE YOU WEARING....?

Hiro: Bwuh!? WHY?!

Papyrus: I'M...ASKING FOR A FRIEND! SHE THOUGHT SHE SAW YOU WEARING A BANDANNA!

Hiro _(terrified)_ : …........I......

Papyrus: IS IT TRUE? ARE YOU WEARING A BANDANNA?

Hiro: Uh....I.... _(looks at himself)_ ….I'm.....not....wearing it..

Papyrus: SO YOU'RE NOT WEARING A BANDANNA... GOT IT! YOU'RE MY FRIEND SO I TRUST YOU 100 PERCENT! HAVE A NICE DAY! _(hangs up)_

Hiro: …......... _(takes his bandanna off and puts on the tutu)_

Hiro felt guilty about lying to Papyrus, but with him changing the pieces of clothing he had, he at least made it true that he wasn't wearing the bandanna. He went on to the next area and found a few echo flowers nearby. He went to one that mentioned how monsters would whispers their wishes to the stars in the sky a long time ago. If one hoped with all their heart, their wish would come true. Hiro figured that this was when the monsters were on the surface. It continued to say that they only have the sparkling stones on the ceiling. Hiro looked to see multitudes of stones gleaming and twinkling like stars in the night sky.

Hiro: These are their stars now? But they look so neat.

Hiro continued to the next flowers that cried out how thousands of people wishing can't be wrong and how the king will prove it. Hiro was nervous once again at the mention of the king. As he went further, he ran into a monster that looked like one of those old washing buckets with a crank to squeeze the water out of clothes between rollers, a round head with two beady eyes and a round mouth, two clawed legs like those on a legged bathtub, and a rubber ducky floating in the water of the bucket body. It shuffled its way up to Hiro as the area went gray-scale, and Hiro checked to it be called Woshua. His options were Touch, Clean, and Joke. Hiro looked at himself and did realize he was dirty, so he asked Woshua to clean him, if possible.

Woshua _(hops excitedly)_ : Green means clean!

Ducky: Tweet.

Hiro _(flies around from the teardrop attacks)_ : Waah! _(notices several green teardrops)_ Aah?! _(misses all of them; asks Woshua to clean him again and gets hit before grabbing a green teardrop; getting healed again)_ Haah... _(spares Woshua and watches it shuffle away while color returns)_

Hiro had continued on to the next two flowers where the voices of two monsters, one of which is possibly a sister, were making a wish to see real stars. Hiro had realized that he almost forgot that he couldn't see the sky, day or night. Before he thought about it further, he caught sight of a silver telescope.

Hiro: Oh cool! _(rushes over to it and looks through the scope; sees the “stars” and moves the scope to a cloudy area where the words “CHECK WALL” with an arrow pointing up)_ ….Check wall? _(looks around at the walls)_ Eh? _(goes to the walls and rubs his hands along them, running into an echo flower that muttered how the horoscope was the same as last week's. He moved along the walls until he went to the far path across from the telescope and touched the wall; the wall crumbles away at his touch)_ AAAH!! ….....Oh. It's this wall. _(enters past it)_

Hiro arrived at an area where it was mostly water, except for the plethora of typha plants _(those weird water sausage ones)_ , the stone wall, and the wooden pathway lined along it. A small set of stairs was on the opposite end of the path, but he didn't know what it was for. He saw a row of stone signs on the wall, and went to read them.

Hiro: “The War of Humans and Monsters....” Oh! There's more of that story! _(goes to the next one)_ “Why did the humans attack? Indeed, it seemed that they had nothing to fear.” Well, we thought monsters are evil and mean. “Humans are unbelievably strong. It would take the.....the SOUL of nearly every monster just to equal the power of...a single human SOUL.” R-Really? Hmm... _(goes to the next one)_ “But humans have one weakness. Iro....I...I-ron-ni-call-ly......Iron-nic-cally...Ironic-cally, it is the strength of their SOUL. Its power allows it to per...sist outside the human body, even after death.” …..It does? _(looks at himself)_ My soul can do that? _(goes to the next)_ “If a monster defeats a human, they can take its Soul.” Wha... “A monster with a human SOUL...A horrible beast with unfath...un...unfath.......un-fathpht......” really freaky power. Maybe. So if they get my soul, they'll get powerful? _(goes to the next one where he sees a rather strange creature)_ Hmn, wh-what is that...? Looks really scary.....

Hiro towards the edge of the pier and was surprised at the makeshift raft a part of had become. The wooden raft slowly drifted on the black water to a pier on the far end of the area and he thought about the words on the signs.

Hiro: I wonder what happens if my soul gets taken? I don't want that to happen.... _(reaches the end and climbs off the raft, watching it drift away)_ Hmn.....

Continuing on the wooden path, Hiro reached a large area where one side, scattered rows of typha plants were being gently pushed by the flow of the water and on the other side were pillars of stone. Hiro was admiring the scenery when the sound of something slicing the air drew closer. He stopped just short of a familiar aqua green spear landing where his foot would have landed. With a startled shout, Hiro stumbled back away from it as it vanished. He caught something gleaming out of the corner of his eye. Appearing from the shadows of the stone pillars was Undyne.

And she's got three long floating spears aimed right at him.

Hiro _(panicking inwardly)_ : Aaaah.... _(waves a little)_ Hi?

Undyne: …... _(launches the spears at him)_

Hiro: AAAAAAHH!!!

Hiro took off running as Undyne ran along the cliff side. He was able to dodge a few spears, but one struck him in his left side, throwing him into a small gray-scale battlefield where he saw many spears flying at him.

Hiro: Ah! _(gets grazed by a few spears before seeing the battlefield vanish)_ What happ- _(sees a spear flying at him and scrambles away)_ Waah!

Hiro was able to dodge more spears before getting hit by another volley of them. After the impromptu dodging and getting hit by more spears, Hiro was getting exhausted. He came upon a large field of grass and dove in to hide from the spears whizzing by and at him. Thinking he was safe, Hiro decided to sit and take a break from running. He felt most of his body thrumming from running so much and the stinging from being hit by Undyne's spears. Just when he was able to relax, sounds of the grass shifting and the heavy metallic footsteps drew near behind him. Hiro almost let out a gasp when he clasped his hands hard over his mouth. Undyne was in the grass searching for him. Fear started to wash over the boy as Undyne was stalking further in and stop near him. The dread he felt before almost paralyzed him as he waited for something to happen. Suddenly, a sound of something getting hit startled Hiro into letting a frightened squeak slip out. He wasn't sure of what happened, but he heard Undyne walking away after a short while. When he felt it was safe and didn't hear Undyne's footsteps anymore, Hiro relaxed himself. He crawled his way out of the tall grass and stood to his feet when he emerged, feeling the shaky remnants of fear leaving his body.

Hiro _(trembling voice)_ : Th-That was....really s-scary.... Was Undyne that relentless killer Flowey mentioned? I don't know if I wanna try to talk, but I-I can do it? _(hears something rustling the grass behind him and turns around quickly)_ AAH?! _(sees the monster kid run out excitedly; calms down)_ Ooh, it's just....

MK: Yo... Did you see that?!

Hiro: No, see what?

MK: Undyne! _(hopping in excitement)_ Undyne just....TOUCHED ME!

Hiro: She did? _She hit him?_

MK: I'm never washing my face ever again! Man, are you unlucky.

Hiro: Why..?

MK: If you were standing just a LITTLE bit to the left... _(sees a panicked look on Hiro's face)_ Yo, don't worry! I'm sure we'll get to see her again! _(takes off running, falling in the middle of it and scrambles back to his feet)_

Hiro: Hmn....

Hiro let the last of his jitters fade away before moving on the next area. He arrived to find another Save Star, an echo flower, and a table with a slice of cheese encased in pink crystal. Where there's cheese, there's a mouse. Sure enough, there's a mouse hole. Hiro touched the flower and it squeaked, just like the mouse did when he talked to it. He was curious about the cheese, but found that it was so old, it crystallized and got stuck to the table. As he went to the Save star and saved, he knew that one day, the mouse will get that cheese out of the crystal. Hiro soon departed the room into the next area and spotted a gray door. There was something odd about it, but he couldn't quite place it.

Hiro: Aah. It's weird seeing a door like this here. _(walks up to it)_ I wonder what's inside. _(opens the door)_

Hiro entered and found himself walking down a narrow hallway until he reached the wide room. The entire area was gray with no furniture or anything in it. The only thing that he saw was a pair of strange creatures conversing in the center of the room. They both look similar, having a skeletal look to them despite their right eyes nearly melted closed and the left eyes normally open. Their right eyes have a crack rising to the top of their skulls while the left have a crack meet their mouths. Their bodies are a goopy black mass with a white triangle pointing down on the front and their....hands...are misshapen and have a hole in them. The similarities stop there when Hiro noticed the one on the left had strings of symbols around various parts of its body. There was a halo behind its head, three circles surrounding the neck, chest, and waist connected by two long strings reaching the neck to the floor on the front and back of the creature, and two strings connected to the waist circle on the sides. Its hands has a circle of symbols, the chest has a long sharp object that's pierced in its chest where the V meets and out its back, and has two chain links hanging on the front. Hiro noticed that the left creature's cracks look like black chains, and while its partner had a smile on its face, the left one looked very sad.

Hiro _(walks up to the creatures cautiously)_ : Um.....Hello?

_(both turn to Hiro startled; the right creature vanished and the left one had the halo ring of symbols drop over its body and shatter on the floor, melting away)_

Hiro: …........Huh? _(roams around)_ Where did they go? _(stops in the center)_ …....Were they monsters, too? _(leaves the room)_ I should show Sans and tell him about it when I see him.

Hiro stepped out of the gray room back into the hallway before glancing back at the gray door. After a brief stare, he continued on. He arrived in an area where he spotted Sans standing by another telescope, another box by a wall, and an entrance into somewhere.

Hiro: Ah, hi, Sans! Oh, Sans, Sans! _(grabs Sans's jacket sleeve)_

Sans: Whoa, hey there, kid! What's up?

Hiro: You gotta see this! _(pulls Sans back with him)_ I found a gray door in the hallway this way!

Sans: A..A gray door?

Hiro: Yeah! Come on, come on!

_(Hiro leads Sans to the previous area; they arrived in the room where the Save Star is)_

Hiro: Wha...? _(inspecting the room)_ But...I...

Sans: You said there was a gray door? All I'm seeing is an echo flower, that star thing, and a... _(squints at the cheese)_ ...a crystal..?

Hiro: No! There was a hallway after this! _(runs ahead of Sans)_ I came this way and it was just a hallway with just a door! I know I saw it! And there was a gray room and two black monsters with white heads!

Sans: Black monsters with white heads?

Hiro: Yeah! They look the same, but one has stuff floating around it! ...I know I saw it this way! _(runs out of the room; ends up where he met Sans by the telescope)_ …......I....

Sans _(walks up to Hiro)_ : Maybe you were imagining things?

Hiro: …..Was I? _(looks disheartened)_ I thought...Hmn....I am?

Sans: You were traveling in the Underground for some time, so maybe.

Hiro: Oh...

Sans: ….Tell you what. _(leads Hiro over the telescope)_ I was thinking about getting into the telescope business.

Hiro: Really?

Sans: Yeah. _(glances at the telescope wistfully)_ It's normally 50000G to use this premium telescope...

Hiro: Bwuh! _(frantically counts on his fingers)_ 50...How much is...?!

Sans: Hey, don't panic! Since I know you, you can use it for free.

Hiro: You will?

Sans: Yeah, so how about it?

Hiro: Yeah! _(runs up to the telescope as Sans adjusts it to his level; looks into the telescope but only sees red)_ Eh? Why is everything red? _(steps away from the telescope)_ That was weird. Everything was red. _(sees Sans trying to hold in his laughter)_ ….? What's wrong?

Sans: N-Nothing. Pfft..

Hiro: Well, I didn't see any stars through that telescope.

Sans: Not satisfied? Don't worry, I'll give you a full refund for trying it out.

Hiro: I didn't pay, but thanks?

Sans: Sure. _(watches Hiro head inside the entrance past the box; leers at the direction of the Save Star area)_ ….Two black monsters with white heads in a gray room... _(rubs his fingers on his chin thoughtfully; frowns)_ I don't remember seeing anything like that... _(takes out a pen and a purple notebook that has strings in the three holes keeping the paper together; writes the information down then snaps the book shut)_ I'll have to find a way to look into that someday....

Hiro walked up a long narrow pathway into a small room where he spotted the blue bunny monster he met in the snow fields before Snowdin. There was also a box nearby and a wall plague that looked like something was painted over. Upon closer inspection, he noticed the words were those of ice cream flavors.

Hiro: Aww, it covered the words. _(walks over to the Nice Cream guy)_ Hi, Mr Nice Cream Guy! What are you doing here?

BB: Hi there! _(ears droop a little)_ I relocated my store, but there are still no customers... _(ears stick back up)_ Fortunately, I've thought of a solution! Punch cards! Every time you buy a Nice Cream, you can take a punch card from the box. If you have 3 cards, you can trade them for a free Nice Cream!

Hiro: Oooh! I wanna try!!

BB: Yeah, they're sure to get the customers to come back!

Hiro: I hope so, too, 'cause that sounds awesome!

Seeing how much gold he had, Hiro proceeded to buy three Nice Creams. As he did, he noticed that the cards he retrieved from the box had the words “Please....Please come back..” written on them. Once he got all three cards, Hiro redeemed them for a free Nice Cream. Hiro got four Nice Creams now and he departed the room, stopping by the box to put two of them in it. He met up with a bipedal onion-shaped monster who was curious about stars and whether or not one can touch, eat, or kill it. It asked Hiro if he was a star, but he told it that he wasn't. He continued on to the next area where it split off towards the bottom. Before he was able to go to the bottom, he spotted something yellow on a strip of land across a disproportionately large gap with glowing blue water. It was at this point where Hiro realized his new surroundings had changed. Instead of the usual bluish coloration of the gem-speckled walls, the area, especially the ground, was a black and the water is a glowing blue. The light from the water touched the exposed areas not covered by the shadows that caused it to look like most of the area was a land of shadow. Rising from the waters, a glowing mist and bubbles floated and dissipated into the air.

Hiro: Whoooaaaaa! This is soooo cool! _(runs over to the water and watches the mist and bubbles rising from the water)_

Hiro had crouched down by the water's edge for a while before standing back up and moving further south along a path into a much larger area. Little lily pads were idly floating here and tall typha plants were swaying with the water there, it was a beautiful sight to behold. As he wandered around in the area, he came across two echo flowers. One asked if the monster the question's directed to had a wish and the other responded hesitantly about having one and how stupid it is. Hiro walked over towards a path where a large patch of tall grass is. He decided to see if there was anything hidden in there, and found a pair of ballet shoes.

Hiro: Hmm... I got a tutu. I guess I can wear these. Hmm.... Nah. There's something bad about these shoes...

He held on to the shoes and make his way out of the grass. As he continued further down, Hiro's phone rang. This time, he was ready to answer the phone as he held the phone away from his ear.

Papyrus: HELLO!! THIS IS PAPYRUS!!

Hiro: Hi, Papyrus!

Papyrus: REMEMBER WHEN I ASKED YOU ABOUT CLOTHES?

Hiro: ..Yep.

Papyrus: WELL, THE FRIEND WHO WANTED TO KNOW... HER OPINION OF YOU IS VERY....MURDERY... BUT I BET YOU KNEW THAT ALREADY! AND BECAUSE YOU KNEW THAT, I KNEW WHEN YOU SAID: “I AM NOT WEARING A BANDANNA.” IT WAS REALLY A SECRET CODE! YOU REALLY MEANT... “I ACTUALLY AM WEARING A DUSTY TUTU!”

Hiro *freezes*: …..............A...wha...?

Papyrus: YOU WERE TRYING TO PROTECT YOURSELF WHILE MAKING IT SO I DIDN'T HAVE TO LIE!

Hiro: Err......

Papyrus: I PICKED UP ON THIS AND FOLLOWED YOUR PLAN. IN FACT, I TOOK IT ONE STEP FURTHER! I TOLD HER YOU WERE NOT WEARING A BANDANNA! YOU WERE PROBABLY WEARING A DUSTY TUTU! OF COURSE, YOU WOULD NEVER WEAR THAT. BUT THAT'S THE POINT! SHE WON'T RECOGNIZE YOU NOW, AND I DIDN'T HAVE TO BETRAY EITHER OF YOU! WOWIE! YOU'RE SUCH A SMART COOKIE! I REALLY CAN BE FRIENDS WITH EVERYONE!!! _(hangs up)_

Hiro was not too happy about hearing what Papyrus said about what he wore. By exposing what the boy wore, the skeleton inadvertently put him in danger of running into danger, should Undyne find him. He begin to walk a little faster until he ran into a Woshua. After cleaning up the battle with Woshua, Hiro continued on and stopped by another echo flower. This one was saying that it won't laugh at the other monster. He moved on to the northern most path and spotted a stone wall sign.

Hiro: “The power to take their SOULs.” Um.. “This is the power the humans feared.” Oh. Maybe that's why the war happened? Because the humans were scared? Hmm.

Hiro headed up the path into a wide area full of water and just the path he was walking on.

Hiro: What's this place? It's kinda creepy here... _(walks further in and notices something yellow poking out of the water then sinking back in)_ EH? _(walks slowly until two long tentacles poked out of the water then back down)_ Aaaaah... What are they...? _(walks a little faster until more tentacles poke out)_ Eep! _(keeps walking; stops when seeing more tentacles appear and something rising from the water)_ Waah!

Out of the waters appeared....an octopus monster? And it has an onion-shaped head and a rather cute face.

Octopus _(wispy medium-high voice)_ : Hey......there.. Noticed you were.... Here....

Hiro: Err.....yeah.. Wh-Who are you?

Octopus: I'm Onionsan! Onionsan, y'hear!

Hiro: O-Oh. I'm Hiro!

Onionsan: Hi! You're visiting Waterfall, huh!

Hiro: Yep!

Onionsan: It's great here, huh!

Hiro: Yep!

Onionsan: You love it, huh!

Hiro: Yep!

Onionsan: Yeah! Me too! It's my Big Favorite!

Hiro _(starts a stroll with Onionsan)_ : It is?

Onionsan: Yeah! _(turns away)_ Even though, the water's getting so shallow here... I....have to sit down all the time, but... _(turns back happily)_ He-Hey! That's okay! It beats moving to the city, and living in a crowded aquarium!

Hiro: Really?

Onionsan: Yeah! Like all my friends did! _(turns away again)_ And the aquarium's full, a-anyway, so, even if I wanted to, I....

Hiro: Huh?

Onionsan _(turns back to Hiro joyously)_ : That's okay, though! Undyne's gonna fix everything, y'hear!

Hiro _(worried)_ : Undyne will...?

Onionsan: Yeah! I'm gonna get out of here and live in the ocean! Y'hear!

Hiro: I hear you.... _(continues walking until he reaches an exit)_

Onionsan: Hey....there.... That's the end of this room. I'll see you around. Have a good time! In Waterfallllllllll..... _(continues until fully submerged)_

Hiro: ...That was...weird. Undyne will fix everything..? How? _(exits the area)_

Hiro entered the next area where there is a split path, one straight ahead and one to the west. As he was about to move to the western path, he somehow encountered a monster. It looked like it had short hair with long sections on the sides, a long strand of hair with a small ball on the end, a small fish tail poking out of the back of the head, and it looks like the entire head is floating. The body is scaly, with a muscular arm and two spikes on the back. It was facing away from him as the area went gray-scale, and after checking the monster, he found its name is Shyren. His other options are Smile, Hum, and Conduct. Hiro decided to give a smile.

Hiro: Can I see your smile, too, Shyren?

Shyren: ….

Hiro: Hmm... _(notices Aaron in a corner nodding his head)_ Eh? Hmm.... _(starts humming something close to a funky tune)_

Shyren _(taps a little beat with her fins)_ : …...Hmm hmm...

Hiro: Ah! _(hums some more)_

Shyren _(the head turns to reveal a face that has wide droopy eyes and a toothy smile; some of the bangs covered the left eye and the other is long, reaching the arm)_ : Si re, si re si mi si mi!

Shyren let out a song as music notes sprang forth from her mouth. Hiro had to dodge the notes, but as the battle continued and they both were humming this funky tune, not only was Shyren getting comfortable with her singing, there was also a growing number of monsters that stopped by and watched the battle like it was a concert. So much so that Hiro thought he saw Sans selling tickets on toilet paper. The impromptu concert continued as a storm of socks were thrown, everything was going great! Hiro continued to dodge Shyren's notes and humming, until eventually, it all had to end. Shyren had thought of her future, the both of them had come so far, but they had their own journeys to embark. Shyren aggressively made tooting noises about this, and Hiro took that as a signal. Hiro started to hum a farewell song, and Shyren let out a final toot. She let out an onslaught of notes, a few notes hitting him but he made it out okay. A vision that blinked in his mind was different than what he wanted. Again, Hiro was confused at the vision, so he chose the spare her. Hiro and Shyren went their separate ways as color returned. Hiro went to the path he meant to go and found a piano, some symbols above it, and a sign on the other side of the con-caved wall.

Hiro: “A haunting song e....echoes...down the cor...cori...cor..ri...dor....corridor. Won't you play along? Only the first 8 are fine.” _(tilts his head confused)_ Eh? What's that mean..? _(looks around for a short while before leaving)_

Hiro decided to move on until he spotted more stone signs. The first one mentioned how humans are unable to take a monster SOUL, due to it disappearing upon said monster's death. It would also require an incredible power to get a living monster's SOUL. The next sign states that an exception is that of the SOUL of a special species of monster, a Boss Monster, can persist after death, but only for a few moments. A human could absorb this SOUL, but it's never happened before, and now it never will. Hiro was unsure of this new information, but the thoughts went away as he spotted a lone horned statue sitting under a spotlight with rain dripping onto it.

Hiro: Ooh.... What was this? _(inspects the statue)_ It looks neat. _(looks up)_ Where's the rain coming from? And the light? And why are just the rocks dry? Hmm. _(continues to the next room and finds a sign and a bucket of umbrellas)_ Ooh, umbrellas! Maybe I should put one on the statue! _(runs back to the statue and finds a spot to put it in)_ There you go, nice and dry- _(hears a music box type song playing from the statue)_

The music that played from the statue sounded cheerful, but somehow it felt....sad...yet nostalgic. Hiro started to get visions, but they weren't like the scary ones. He saw lots of yellow flowers with yellow petals floating in the wind. He saw two figures sitting in the sunlight where the hole of the mountain is seen high above. He couldn't tell who the figures were, but the vision blurred away as he felt something wet come to his eyes.

Hiro: Eh? Why am I crying...? _(wipes his sleeves on his eyes)_ Eeehh....

Hiro hadn't expected himself to cry like that, so after he stopped, he remembered the sign back at the piano room. He ran back to the room and tried the piano out, hearing the distance melody down the hall like the sign said. It took him a while to figure out the notes, he even found a loose rock and tried scribbling the patterns on the wall to find the correct one. When he finally succeeded in getting the right pattern, the wall in the indented area crumbled away. When Hiro entered the opened room, his eyes caught the sight of a red ball object sitting on a pedestal. He wasn't able to see what the plaque behind it says, but he was more interested in the spherical item before him. He was about to take the orb, but he couldn't put it in his phone's inventory. For some odd reason, he found that he was carrying too many dogs.

Hiro: ….I had a dog? I always wanted a dog.... Hmn... I wanna keep it, but I want that ball thing. Ball or dog? ….I can get the dog back.

The moment he took the dog out of his phone inventory, he recognized it as the white dog that stole one of Papyrus's bone attacks. Before Hiro could do anything, the dog jumped onto the pedestal, laid its body on the orb, and absorbed it into itself.

Hiro: Wha- Aaaaaah!! _(chases the dog towards the wall; sees it disappear into the wall)_ ….Eh?! How! _(turns back to the pedestal)_ It took the ball.... _(looks in his inventory; sees an item called Dog Residue)_ ….What's this? It...looks weird.....

Hiro was unsure of what to do with the new item, but decided to hold on to it. He returned to the hall past the musical statue and grabbed another umbrella when he saw it was raining. Before he could move on, he was stopped by Monster Kid who decided to join him under the umbrella. Monster Kid was very chatty, discussing about how cool Undyne was and how she never lost a fight. Hiro was getting uncomfortable with this as he is a human. Monster Kid soon switched subjects to him and his classmates having to take care of flowers when he spotted an echo flower on a patch of land across the way from where their path leads. The flowers were donated by the king, “Mr. Dreemurr”, and he taught the class about responsibility. Hiro was confused at this, because he heard so many different versions about the king. Toriel said he'd kill him, Papyrus claimed that everyone loved him, most monsters spoke highly of Asgore. But what is the real Asgore? A killer or a friend? Hiro hoped it was the latter. But of course as he pondered this, Monster Kid couldn't carry on a conversation without mentioning Undyne.

MK: How COOL would it be if Undyne came to school!? She can beat up ALL the teachers!!

Hiro was finding this Undyne to be terrifying, but the way the little monster talked about her made him feel like she's his role model. Hiro hopes that the role model part of Undyne is the one he'll meet, but at the moment, he's not seeing it. Besides, Undyne was too cool to hurt an innocent person.

Right...?

The duo made their way on the path until they emerged past the rocky formation beside it, stumbling upon the most amazing sight Hiro's ever seen. It was like walking upon a hill and seeing a large expanse of land, with a castle far in the distance and hundreds of stars shining above. For a moment, it was almost easy to forget that this is all underground, under the surface of the earth. Perhaps over the course of the years, the monsters had to have places to live, and that included royalty. If there is the king Asgore, then who would the queen and their child or children be? This curiosity had a slight edge over Hiro's fear. He admired the sight for a little while before moving on, Monster Kid in tow. Soon, they reached the other side of the road and the rain picked up again. Hiro was going to take the umbrella with him, but he wasn't able to, so he had to put it up and climbed up Monster Kid to reach the top of the ledge. He wasn't exactly looking forward to meeting Undyne, though. As he walked on, Hiro spotted a few more plaques that explained the monsters' history.

Hiro: “The humans, afraid of our power, declared war on us. They attacked suddenly, and without mercy.” _(walks over to the second after saving)_ “In the end, it could hardly be called a war. United, the humans were too powerful, and us monsters, too weak. Not a single SOUL was taken, and countless monsters were turned to dust...” So it....wasn't the monsters' fault...? We...started the fight..?

Hiro was feeling unsure of what he just read as the sound of muffled rain on the cave top filled him with uncertain determination. He pondered about what he read as he walked on into an area that's like a two-tiered boardwalk. He noticed it was getting darker as he got a little further into the area and stopped to look around. Before he took a step, he noticed a glowing aquamarine circle appear on the ground.

Hiro: Huh? _(sees another one near him)_ Eh? _(sees another next to his foot)_ What's that? _(watches several more lights appear before a spear juts out of all of them)_ AAAAAAAah!! _(takes off running)_

Unbeknownst to Hiro, Undyne was on the second level of the boardwalk causing the light spears to appear. He didn't realize there are branching paths that sometimes led to dead ends. Despite getting hit by a few spears, he was able to reach a larger area where the speed of the spears appearing grew. He soon dashed for a single path as more spears jutted up from the ground, only to find that it was also a dead end. He was about to go back the way he came before stopping. Undyne was blocking the way.

Hiro _(trembling)_ : U-Um... Undyne....?

Undyne: …..

Hiro: I didn't hurt anyone! Please don't hurt me!

Undyne: …......

_(a sound of something phasing in is heard; three large spears struck through the wooden pier)_

Hiro: Eh? Phew.... _(hears something creaking and feels himself sinking; realizes he and the pier are falling)_ Ah? AAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaahh.....

It was dark. There was nothing to be seen around.

???: It sounds like it came from over here...

Just the darkness....

???: Oh! You've fallen down, haven't you...?

Fallen down....

???: Are you okay?

Am I...?

???: Here, get up...

Up. This feels...

...

???: ...Hiro, huh? That's a nice name.

Name......that's.....white...light....?

???: My name is

_(Hiro jolts awake in a bed of yellow flowers)_

Hiro: ….

Hiro sat up from the flower bed to find that most of himself is wet. He looked around to see not only the broken pier that fell with him, but piles upon piles of trash that possibly fell from the giant wall of water close to him. He climbed off the boards and found that the water reached his stomach. He noticed that there were a few brands that he recognized in some of the piles that he looked in as he waded through the flooded area and reached the Save Star that's floating above a few wooden boards.

Hiro: Maybe the monsters get their stuff here. _(looks up)_ Is the waterfall from the top? _(notices a piece of trash fall from the waterfall and to the bottomless abyss; looks down as it falls; sees a few more trash pieces doing the same)_ It just keeps going....just like I should! _(saves at the star as he becomes more determined)_

Hiro continued to wade his way through the flooded areas and saw a rusted bike that had a horn with a honk of despair _(does the sound of a sliding whistle really bring despair?)_ , a beat-up desktop computer with its insides missing _(maybe Papyrus's computer has them?)_ , an unbranded cooler with some dried space food _(Hiro took most of them)_ , and an anime DVD package with odd scratch marks on the edges floating idly. He noticed ahead of him that there is a dummy standing in the water.

Hiro: Oh! Didn't Toriel have one of these? I think so. _(stares into the dummy's eyes for a moment before he gently pats the dummy's snout)_ Have a good...um...day? Mister or Miss Dummy! _(walks towards the exit; hears something sloshing behind him and stops to glance back; sees the dummy facing him)_ Eh?

There was something off about that dummy, and sure enough.....

**DUN DUUUN!!**

The dummy's coloration went from a plain khaki tan to a fiery orange, and its cute beady black eyes became angry. It looked absolutely mad as it dove underwater past Hiro and came out floating, blocking the exit.

Dummy: Hahaha... Too intimidated to fight me, huh?

Hiro: Who are you?

Dummy: I am a ghost that lives inside a DUMMY. My cousin used to live inside a DUMMY, too. Until...YOU CAME ALONG!

Hiro: Eep! W-What did I do?

Dummy: When you talked to them, they thought they were in for a nice chat, but the things you said to them.... Horrible....shocking...UNBELIEVABLE! It spooked them right out of the dummy!

Hiro: Eh? But I was nice to the dummy ghost.

Dummy: SILENCE, HUMAN!! I'll scare your SOUL out of your body!! _(becomes infuriated as its body turns red and its midsection splits open)_

Hiro: Aah!! _(his SOUL leaps out of his chest as the area went gray-scale)_

Hiro watched as the Mad Dummy, the monster dummy before him, swayed from side to side. In his Check, Hiro was dismayed that physical attacks can't hurt it. Not that he would hurt it, but how can he get past the dummy? His only option is to talk to it.

Mad Dummy: Pitiful, pitiful, PITIFUL!

Soon after it said that, Hiro noticed a few miniature dummies popping up and shooting cotton bullets at him. He flew around to avoid them and past the Dummy, seeing some of them hit it. Before Hiro could apologize, Mad Dummy reprimanded the mini-dummies on where they were aiming their magic attacks. It took a short moment before it yelled at Hiro to forget what it said about magic, but it was too late. If Hiro couldn't use physical attacks, and he refuses to do so, he'll use magic. Seeing those cotton bullets hitting the Dummy gave him an idea. As some more mini-dummies shot off more cotton bullets, Hiro flew around the area, dodging most of them and leading some to the Mad Dummy. It was doing an armless ska dance at one point and Hiro tried to talk to it. The Mad Dummy was not much for conversation and no one was happy about this. It exclaimed how it will take Hiro's SOUL to cross the barrier. More mini-dummies showed up and Hiro kept leading the bullets to the Dummy as it started to move from one end of the battlefield to the other. It soon bragged about how it'll stand in the window of a fancy store. It must be what the Dummy wanted to do if it left the Underground. With so much cotton being flung everywhere, the area started to smell strangely like a clothing store. Hiro saw the Dummy stop on one side of the field and almost missed leading most of the cotton in its direction, but some of it still managed to hit it.

Hiro: I think I'm _(some of his words are covered by cotton)_ Eh? Am I _(more cotton covers his words)_ Bleugh! The cot _(his words are covered in cotton again)_ Mrrr! _(swats the cotton balls away until they're gone)_ There! But um, will that help you? Taking my soul?

Mad Dummy: Huh? Yeah, I guess that'll avenge my cousin. What was their name again..?

Hiro: Err...I don't know...?

Mad Dummy: Whatever, whatever, WHATEVER!!

Hiro was about to dodge more cotton bullets when he saw the mini-dummies flicker red and launched themselves at him. He had to fly through the open spaces before trying to lead the cotton at the Dummy. Every time it got hit, the Dummy flew around erratically, screaming “FEEBLE!” and “FUTILE!” and other words as Hiro dodged the mini-dummies and led cotton to it. Eventually, the Mad Dummy has had enough.

Mad Dummy: HEY GUYS! _(sees the mini-dummies appear)_ Dummies. Dummies! DUMMIES!! Remember how I said NOT to shoot at me? Well.... _(infuriated)_ FAILURES!! YOU'RE FIRED! YOU'RE ALL BEING REPLACED!!

Hiro _(watches the mini-dummies leave the battlefield)_ : Err....

Mad Dummy _(laughs manically)_ : Now you will see my true power: relying on people that aren't garbage!

As soon as it said that, mechanical whirs filled the room.

Hiro: What's that...?

Mad Dummy: DUMMY BOTS! MAGIC MISSILE!

Hiro: Eh? _(sees robotic versions of the mini-dummies appear and shoot little rockets; flies around to dodge them, but sees them follow him)_ Wah! _(flies more before the rockets lose track of him and hit the Dummy)_ I don't like those.

The dummy bots tried again at the Mad Dummy's command as it glares into a random mirror nearby, turning to Hiro with the same expression. It was shocked that the dummy bots were just as awful as the mini-dummies before as it watched Hiro continuously led the rockets to it with little to no contact with them.

Mad Dummy: DUMMY BOTS! FINAL ATTACK!

Hiro: Grr!

The mini-dummies launched at Hiro as a rocket popped up and followed Hiro. Soon after, the dummy bots launched a multitude of rockets. Hiro got hit a few times, but he managed to lead the rockets to the Mad Dummy. The Dummy was stunned that the dummy bots were even worse than the mini-dummies, but he didn't care. He didn't need friends. He got knives. The moment a knife appeared by the Mad Dummy, Hiro had a horrible vision of the Mad Dummy looking...happy. It was happy about it finally being merged with its body as a ghost, only to be savagely slashed and turned to dust. The vision disappeared as the knife was thrown at Hiro, which he dodged at the last second.

Mad Dummy: I'm.....out of knives. _(becomes hysterical)_ BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER!! YOU CAN'T HURT ME AND I CAN'T HURT YOU!! YOU'LL BE STUCK HERE FIGHTING ME!!! Forever... Forever!! FOREVER!!

Hiro _(watches the Mad Dummy laugh hysterically as its parts were being slingshot in a frenzied manner)_ : Ah...

Mad Dummy: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAG- _(feels something wet hit it)_ Wh-What the heck is this!? _(sees drops of water)_ Eugh! Acid rain!? Oh, FORGET IT! I'm outta here! _(leaves the area)_

Hiro: Eh...Acid rain? _(sees Napstablook appear)_ Napstablook!

Napstablook: …..sorry, I interrupted you, didn't I?

Hiro: No, you didn't. Why?

Napstablook: ….as soon as I came over, your friend immediately left....

Hiro: Hmn, he wasn't really-

Napstablook: ...oh no...you guys looked like you were having fun...

Hiro: Err...we weren't-

Napstablook: ...oh no...i just wanted to say hi....

Hiro: But you can-

Napstablook: ...oh no......................................... _(vanishes from the battlefield as the room returned to color)_

Hiro: Wait, Napstablook! What are you going to do now?

Napstablook: well....i'm going to head home now... oh...umm...feel free to come with if you want.... but no pressure... I understand if you're busy...

Hiro: I'm not really busy.

Napstablook: it's fine....no worries...just thought i'd offer... _(floats out of the room)_

Hiro: Ah! _(follows Napstablook)_

Hiro followed the ghost to the next area where there is an area of glowing blue water next to the entrance he walked through, a rectangular strip of regular water in the center where a Save Star is floating close to the edge, three paths to the north and a path to the east and west. Napstablook was floating ahead of Hiro before they showed him where their house is, in case he wanted to see. Or in case he didn't. After Hiro was saving in this area of calming tranquility, he followed the ghost to the middle path. He arrived in an area where there are two houses. They look like someone tried to build a square house, but decided to add a bulbous top to it, only for it to end up lopsided and just added a triangular roof to make it considered a house. A circular window is on the bulbous part and a single door are present. What's different is the second one is facing the opposite way, it has a pink color scheme and there's a light on. Hiro tried entering the pink house but it was locked, so he tried and entered the blue house. The inside of the house looked pretty run-down, with cracks and holes in the wall, small holes and some discolored planks in the wooden floor, a white refrigerator, a blue TV with a small dual antennae box, a table with a desktop computer system that's blocking a small window, a spider web in the corner of the far wall on the entrance side, and three objects preceding the web. The atmosphere of the house was....Hiro was not sure how to feel about it. He spotted Napstablook in front of the computer with a pair of black headphones on. Napstablook heard Hiro walking in and turned to greet him.

Napstablook: oh...you really came... sorry, I...wasn't expecting that.

Hiro: It's okay. I wanted to visit!

Napstablook: oh.... it's not much, but make yourself at home.

Hiro: Okay.

Hiro explored the house a little. He looked at the spider web and found a flyer for a spider bake sale. He remembered the one in the Ruins when he arrived in the Underground. He went over to Napstablook's computer and saw a website with many different songs and posts about them. It looked like a music website. He then went to the TV when Napstablook told him it's theirs and that there's a show they liked to watch sometimes. He went over to the three objects and Napstablook mentioned how they are music they made. The objects turned out to be CDs. Hiro went up to the one by the spider web and was told it was called “Ghouliday”. Napstablook commented on how it's not hard to sing along once the lyrics are learned. Hiro hummed along and realized the melody sounded familiar. The next CD Napstablook introduced is “Spookwave”. Hiro listened to it, and was suddenly hit with an odd sense of being thoroughly spooked out of his wits. He wasn't alone in this since Napstablook was feeling this, too. The last one was called “Spooktune”. It was similar to Spookwave, but without the creepy ambiance. After listening to the songs, Hiro went over to the refrigerator and asked Napstablook if he could have something to eat.

Napstablook: oh....are you hungry... _(sees Hiro nod)_ I can get you something to eat... _(floats over to the fridge, put their hand through the door and takes out a translucent sandwich)_ this is a ghost sandwich... do you want to try it...?

Hiro: Yes, please! _(is given a slice of the ghost sandwich; attempts to bite into it but his mouth phased through it)_ Eh????

Napstablook: oh....nevermind....

Hiro _(saddened)_ : Awwww....Hmm, now what?

Napstablook: after a great meal I like to lie on the ground and feel like garbage...

Hiro: Eh? Why?

Napstablook: it's a family tradition.... do you want... …. to join me....?

Hiro: Hmm... _I don't want to feel like garbage, but I don't want to be mean... I'll try it out._ _(nods)_ Yep.

Napstablook: okay.... follow my lead... _(leads Hiro to the center of the room and lies down)_ here we go... you'll lie down as long as you don't move.

Hiro _(lies down on his back, looking up at the ceiling)_ : Like this?

Napstablook: yeah... so....only move around if you want to get up, I guess...

Hiro: Okay.

Hiro and Napstablook just laid on the floor for a few minutes.

Hiro: Hmn... _This feels boring.... Maybe if I close my eyes a little...._

As soon as Hiro did so, his world became dark. It was like that time when he fell into the trash area. But unlike that time, he began to see little lights appearing. Some of those little lights became bigger lights, elongated lights, blobs of light, spirals of lights, clouds of lights. Through his half-lidded eyes, he could see those lights twinkling, pulsating, and soaring all around in this darkness. He remembered seeing something like this in books.

Space.

He was in space. Or what seemed like space. His body felt so light like he was floating on air. Not like how he was with his soul was floating out of his body in battles, but a more calm, serene kind of floating, like a heavy weight was nowhere inside him. Hiro could also somehow hear a sound in this space, a whole symphony of it. It was like hearing the song of the universe, slow like its growth but enough to feel like one of those calm breathing exercises. All of this was enough to make Hiro feel like he was sleeping in a cosmic bed. Hiro began to wonder if this is what Napstablook and their family _(?)_ always experienced, and to be honest, he was loving it. Eventually, thoughts of him leaving the Underground slowly creeped up on Hiro and as much as he didn't want to, he had to get up. After a short debate with himself on whether or not he should end this cosmic dream, he had no choice but to get up. As he did, the vision of space drifted away and his body felt heavy again. Hiro stood up as Napstablook sat up and did the same.

Napstablook: well, that was nice... thank you...

Hiro: Welcome....

Napstablook _(floats over to the computer)_ : Uuuhh..... so, I'm gonna keep working on that mix CD...

Hiro: Okay... Bye bye... _(leaves Napstablook's house)_ …..I wanna do that again...

Before Hiro left the area, he was curious about Napstablook's music. He wanted to listen to them a little longer, so he re-entered the house and was able to relisten to them. Once he did, Hiro accidentally left without turning off Spookwave. He was making his way from the houses back to where the Save Star is when he was surprised by the area going gray-scale, running into Aaron and Woshua. But before they were able to do anything, the Spookwave song was heard playing. Everyone, including Hiro, was getting creeped out by this song, so much so that Woshua felt filthy and Aaron was regretting his creepy ways. Both monsters took off running and the “battle” ended. After the slight confusion and the eerie feeling shaken off, Hiro continued on until he spotted a path that led up to where he entered an area that was like a small straight race track with three snails, a fenced area with some snails, and a small green monster in a tuxedo laying on the ground on his back with a snail shell on his stomach. As he went further in, Hiro saw Napstablook fading into view. They was telling Hiro that this area is the Blook Family Snail Farm and they're the only employee. The place used to get business, but the main customer disappeared one day, so it's just some hairy guy that shows up once a month. Napstablook invited Hiro to play a game called Thundersnail.

Hiro _(excited)_ : Thundersnail?! That sounds really cool! How do you play?

Napstablook _(turns to the track where a yellow snail, a red snail, and a blue snail are waiting on the checkered line on the right side)_ : the snails will race, and if the yellow snail wins, you win. It's 10G to play.

Hiro: Okay! _(pays the cost then faces the track)_ Now what?

Napstablook: okay..... press Z repeatedly to encourage your snail.

Hiro: Okay!

And encourage he did, smashing the 9 button on his phone. Hiro gave the snail a lot of it! So much so that the snail-

Hiro _(panicking)_ : WHY IS THE SNAIL ON FIRE?!

Napstablook: Oh..... looks like you encouraged your snail too much... all that pressure to succeed......really got to her...

Hiro _(trembling)_ : H-How do I try again..?

Napstablook: you try again.

So, Hiro tried again a few tries until he got the yellow snail to win. His prize: 9G.

Napstablook: sorry..... we have to make a profit somehow...

Hiro thanked Napstablook and left the farm to continue on. He wandered into an area where he noticed an entrance across the way from a branching path. He looked in the bottom path first, but all he saw was a small area of land that leads to nothing but water. He left the area to check the entrance and entered a room where he saw an elderly turtle monster wearing an archaeologist's outfit and holding a magnifying glass in hand. The room itself is wide like a mini-cave and dotted with many glittering stones in the walls. There is also a large black symbol that is a circle with a pair of wings and three triangles below it, the center one pointing down. The turtle was standing behind a black counter where there are a basket of apples shaped like crabs, a line of bottles with the words “Sea Tea” on the label, a box of glasses with clouded lens, and a single torn notebook with a purple cover. Hiro had enough for all four items, but didn't have enough room for them. He saw that he can sell his items, but...

Turtle: Ha! I'm trying to get RID of my junk, not get more of it!

Hiro: Oh....

Turtle: Though, I've heard if you want to sell stuff, the Temmie Village is your best bet.

Hiro: Temmie...Village? Where's that?

Turtle: Where is it? …......

Hiro: …...

Turtle: I don't remember.

Hiro: Oh....Hmm...Um, I want to ask about you.

Turtle: Me? Well...I'm Gerson, and I've been around a long time. Maybe too long. Studying history sure is easy when you've lived through so much of it yourself! Wa ha ha!

Hiro: Whoa... So...do you know all the monsters here...even the king?

Gerson: King Fluffybuns? He's a friendly, happy-go-lucky kind of guy. If you keep walking around long enough, you'll probably meet him. He loves to walk around and talk to people.

Hiro: _Again? Is the king a good guy or a bad guy...? Toriel says he's bad, but everyone else likes him. Why? And um...._ Um, Mr. Gerson, why did you call the king... “Fluffybuns”?

Gerson: Why did I call Dreemurr “Fluffybuns”? Oh, that's a great story! ….......

Hiro: …....

Gerson: …...I don't remember it.

Hiro: Ah..

Gerson: But if you come back much later, I'm sure I'll have remembered by them.

Hiro: Okay. _(looks at the symbol on the wall and points at it_ ) What's that thing on the wall?

Gerson _(glances at the symbol)_ : Eh? You don't know what that is? What are they teaching you kids in school nowadays? Wa ha ha!

Hiro: No sir, I've never seen that before.

Gerson: That's the Delta Rune, the emblem of our kingdom. The Kingdom of Monsters.

Hiro: The Delta...Rune...

Gerson: Wahahaha! Great name, huh? It's as I always say... Ol' King Fluffybuns can't name for beans!

Hiro: Err... Does it mean anything?

Gerson: The Rune? That emblem actually predates written history. The original meaning has been lost to time... All we know is that the triangles symbolize us monsters below and the winged circle above symbolizes...something else. Most people say it's the “angel” from the prophecy.

Hiro: Prophecy..?

Gerson: Oh yeah...the prophecy. Legend has it, an “angel” who has seen the surface will descend from above and bring us freedom.

Hiro: Really?

Gerson: Yes, but lately, the people have been taking a bleaker outlook...callin' that winged circle the “Angel of Death”.

A vision flickered in Hiro's mind.

Gerson: A harbinger of destruction, waitin' to “free” us from this mortal realm...

A vision of a shadowy figure flickering between an angel with a branch of sorts and the arms of monsters reaching up to it and another angel with a bladed object and the arms of monsters in a way that they're trying to protect themselves. That vision blinked away as Gerson spoke up.

Gerson: I jus' think it looks neat! Wa ha ha!

Hiro _(a little shaken)_ : Err...yeah..neat. Um....I ran into someone named Undyne. Do you know them?

Gerson: Undyne? Yeah, she's a local hero around here.

Hiro: A hero?

Gerson: Yep, through grit and determination alone, she fought her way to the top of the Royal Guard.

Hiro: Oh..

Gerson _(squints)_ : Actually, she just came through here asking about someone who looked just like you...

Hiro _(worried)_ : Uuuh...

Gerson: I'd watch your back, kid. And buy some items... It might just save your hide! Wa hahah!

Hiro: O...Okay...

After the discussions with Gerson, Hiro left the cave shop. He checked the box and saw that there was some room in it, so he put in a few items before returning inside to purchase one of each items available in Gerson's shop. Once finished, Hiro made his way to another area which he found another sign on the wall.

Hiro: “Hurt, beaten, and fearful for our lives, we sur.....sur..rend...surrend..er...ed...surrendered...to the humans. Seven of their greatest magicians sealed us underground with a magic spell. Anything can enter through the seal, but only beings with a powerful SOUL can leave.” A powerful SOUL? _(walks over to the next one that is floating in front of two echo flowers)_ “There is only one way to reverse this spell. If a huge power, equ...equi...e-equi..va..lent...to seven human SOULs, attacks the barrier, it will be destroyed.” Seven? I heard stories of six falling here.... _(moves to the next one as more echo flowers and some specks of floating light appeared and he crossed the water)_ “But the cursed place has no entrances or exits. There is no way a human could come here. We will remain trapped down here forever.” ….But.....I'm here. I'm a human. Does that mean.....

Hiro was putting the story together and found that the war against the monsters wasn't really one and that six people had fallen before him and gone missing for years. The monsters may have had something to do it, but for some time, no other human had come down until he did and that's why the monsters were after him. He arrived in a dark area where some of the plant life were illuminated by the blue light emitted from the water they absorbed, and accidentally stepped on a mushroom, lighting up the path ahead of him. Fascinated, Hiro found another mushroom to step on. Before Hiro could find another one, he saw the area become gray-scale and spotted a little creature that looks like a dog...or a cat? It has ears like a cat on top of its head, but rounded floppy ones like a dog's? It has a feline face with beady black eyes, a small nose, and a feline mouth. The cat-dog thing has shoulder-length hair that is parted on the front, and wearing a turtleneck short-sleeved shirt. According to Hiro's phone, it's a special enemy called Temmie and it's here to defeat him. Hiro was more concerned about why it's shaking. The only options he has are Check, Flex, Feed Temmie Flakes, and Talk.

Hiro: Feed...Temmie Flakes...? What are those, a cereal? Um, hello?

Creature: hOI!! i'm TEMMIE!!

All of a sudden, a long-legged version of the Temmie appeared and Hiro was caught underneath it. He tried to escape from under it, but he couldn't and its legs hit Hiro's soul. Once it disappeared, the Temmie was shaking a little more. He tried chatting up the Temmie and it repeated its “hOI!! i'm TEMMIE!!” line while lying on its back, which he thought was cute until he saw one of Temmie's arms stretch towards him. He panicked and flew around trying to avoid its paw, but he got trapped and was hit by it. Once the Temmie's arm retracted, Temmie looked like it had forgotten something. Hiro didn't have any Temmie Flakes to feed it, so he tried the flexing option. Hiro flexed with all he had, but it looks like the Temmie was not exactly happy about it, if one counts its face leaving its body.

Temmie: NO!!!! muscles r.......NOT CUTE.

Hiro: Eh? _(sees Aaron slide into battle)_ Aaron?

Aaron: Oh, I have to disagree. ; )

Temmie: NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 _(flops onto its back with Xs in its eyes)_

Hiro: Uuuuh...

It was just Hiro and Aaron as they proceeded with an impromptu flex-off that, once again, caused Aaron to flex out of the battlefield. Once the battlefield faded, Hiro continued on to finding another mushroom when he ran into two Moldsmals. He knew what to do for them so he decided to Mercy them. Strangely, only one of them was spared.

Hiro: Huh? I thought I can spare the Moldsmals... _(checks his options)_ I can...flirt with it, I guess? _(wiggles his hips like he did with a Moldsmal)_ Wiggle, wiggle... _(watches the Moldsmal grow taller)_ Wwaaah!! _(sees a stack similar to the Moldbygg, as Hiro discovered it's called; it shoots out rings at him)_ Aah!

After the barrage of rings, the Moldbygg milled about in the corner of the battlefield. Hiro soon saw that he had new options: Lie Down, Hug, and Unhug. He decided to try and lie down and Moldbygg did the same. It understands life now. They both got up and the monster let out a simple roar. White spheres converged around Hiro and became one giant version, shooting off the field as he dodged them. Moldbygg gyrated reservedly as Hiro kept a distance from it. He thought about hugging it, but decided against it. He noticed it was appreciating his respect of its boundaries, and became comfortable with his presence. Hiro saw that he can spare the monster and did so.

Hiro: Phew, that was new. Hope I won't meet more of them...

Hiro wandered on past the bottom mushroom when he could have sworn he heard something coming from somewhere to the right of him. There was nothing lit down whatever path he's hearing sounds from, but he was somehow able to walk down an unlit path. He soon ended up in a little village that had creatures that looked like the Temmie he met in a battle. Four Temmies were standing under a painting of a Temmie and a dragon called the “Rich History of Tem”, a sign saying “hOI! Welcom to...TEM VILLAGE!!!”, and an entrance with a sign flanking its sides, both mentioning how one should visit the Tem Shop, and an exclamation point sign above it. Hiro decided to talk to the first four Temmies.

Hiro: Hello!

1st Temmie: hoi! i'm temmie! And dis is my friend, temmie!

Hiro _(goes to the second one)_ : Hello!

2nd Temmie: hoi! I'm temmie! And dis is my friend, temmie!

Hiro: Okay... _(goes to the third one)_ Hello..

3rd Temmie: hoi! I'm temmie! Don forget my friend!

Hiro: Err... _(goes to the last one)_ Um...hello?

4th Temmie: Hi. I'm Bob.

Hiro: Uh. Hi.

Hiro moved away from the group and met a Temmie by a giant Temmie statue with the word TEM on the plate. Apparently it's very famous. The Temmie by the statue exclaimed how humans are such a cute. Hiro figured humans were just cute to this Temmie. He soon met another Temmie with an egg. He was told that it was watching it in case it hatches and going to be a proud parent when it does. Oddly enough, the egg is hardboiled. He walked over to another Temmie that mentioned how it heard of the human being allergic to Temmies. Hiro didn't remember being allergic to them, but he does know that he's allergic to pecans. Temmie understood, though, as it's also allergic to the other Temmies. Suddenly, red spots appeared, causing its face to be bloated.

Allergy Tem: HOIVS!!!

Hiro moved away from that Temmie and approached a blue mushroom. When he talked to it, it started dancing in a swaying motion. Mushroom dance, mushroom dance, whatever could it mean?

Mushroom _(cap raises to reveal a pair of blue eyes)_ : It symbolizes my inner torment, trapped here by my hyphae. My struggle to pull away. My struggle to escape. But alas, to no avail.

Hiro: …..

Hiro decided to use the Save Star before entering the shop. There was something about this village and its inhabitants that felt strange, especially when he felt like he was being watched. Oddly enough, he felt a strange sense of detemmienation by being here.

Hiro: De...temmie..nation? Eh?

Afterwards, he decided to check out the Tem Shop. The interior of the shop is a wooden planked wall. From left to right, there is a pulled-back cream curtain, a stack of three rectangular boxes with a small framed photo of a familiar white dog, a white sock with a black toe and heel and an orange Christmas stocking with a white toe, heel, and opening, a small shelf with a bone, a twig, and a glowing pink potion bottle, and a lidded trash can underneath. The counter itself is just a cardboard box with the name “*TEM SHOP” in yellow except for the blue H, the flaps up and a small white coffee mug. The shopkeeper itself looks like the Temmies, but slightly bigger, and wearing a blue and yellow striped shirt. Hiro tried to talk to the Temmie and make sense of it all.

Hiro: Hello!

Shopkeeper Temmie: hoi! I'm temmie

Hiro: Um...Yeah, so um, tell me about yourself?

Shop Tem: hOI!! i'm temmie

Hiro: Uuuuh... I saw this really cool picture of a Temmie and a dragon, that “Rich History of Tem” one. I wanna know about it!

Shop Tem: yaya, us tems hav a DEEP HISTORY!!!

Hiro: ….....Yeah..?

Shop Tem: ver deep.

Hiro _(shakes his head)_ : Uh, how about this shop?

Shop Tem: yaYA!!! go to TEM SHOP!!

Hiro: But...I am in your shop....

Hiro turned his attention to the Temmie's wares and saw that there are three different stacks of Temmie Flakes: one is 3G, one is 1G, and one is 20G. There is also an option to send it to colleg...?...for 1000G. At least it's not as much as when Sans jokingly tried to scam him out of 50000G back in the snow fields, but it was still too much. Then he remembered the Dog Residue. He tried using it and discovered how when he used it, his inventory got filled with more residue and dog salads.. This gave him an idea. With this, some of his unneeded items, and some _(possible)_ extra time, Hiro was able to procure a 1000G. He gave the shopkeeper the money and the Temmie was very excited to receive it, to the point of its entire body and counter leaving the shop and the face behind for a few moments. Hiro didn't have enough time to comprehend what just happened before Temmie's body and counter returned. It stated that it has returned from cool leg and learned many things, including about a new item, the Temmie Armor! Unfortunately, it will cost him 9999G. He decided that giving Temmie the 1000G for college was good enough and left the shop. Once he saved again, he departed the village and continued onward. He continued on the path until he couldn't go further and had to go back to open a new path. This path led up to another area where instead of mushrooms, there are lanterns and purple crystals. According to the sign on the wall, monsters used these items to light their way when lost in the dark. He soon saw why as he trekked through the area. It was getting dark unless he lit up a lantern. He did get stuck in a few spots and ran into a few battles, like with a Woshua and an Aaron, but he was able to get out with little to some damage. Nothing that a few food items can't handle. Exiting out of the lit path area, Hiro kept walking until the corridor was getting darker and darker. He couldn't really see, but he did brush against something like an echo flower. He knew because an unfamiliar voice came from it.

??? _(medium-deep female voice)_ : Behind you.

Hiro froze. Like before when he first met Sans, he didn't want to turn around. Maybe just a peek....and he immediately regretted it. As light brightened the area, behind him....was Undyne. The moment the voice came through the helmet, Hiro realized that it was the same metallic voice from the flower.

Undyne _(steps forward twice)_ : ….Seven.

Hiro: S-Seven...?

Undyne: Seven human souls... With the power of seven human souls, our king...King Asgore Dreemurr...will become a god. With that power, Asgore can finally shatter the barrier. He will finally take the surface back from humanity, and give them back the suffering and pain that we have endured.

Hiro: Uuh...uum..but-

Undyne: Understand, human? This is your only chance at redemption.

Hiro: Re...Re..demp-

Undyne: Give up your soul...or I'll tear it from your body. _(gets into a fighting stance as a long aquamarine spear appeared in her hands, aiming it at Hiro)_

Undyne drew closer to Hiro as she is prepared to skewer Hiro with her spear. As she drew closer, Hiro could see the light of his soul pulsating hard, flickering like his own racing heart. Before a battle could begin, out of the patch of tall grass, Monster Kid rushed out in between them.

Monster Kid: Undyne!!! I'll help you fight!!!

Hiro: ….

Undyne: …..

Monster Kid _(faces Hiro)_ : YO!!! You did it!! Undyne is RIGHT in front of you!!! You got front row seats to her fight!!!

Hiro _(laughs nervously)_ : Yeah...it's great... _No, it's not...._

MK _(looks between them again)_ : ….Wait...Who's she fighting??? _(gets his cheek grabbed and pulled away by Undyne)_ H-Hey! You aren't going to tell my parents about this, are you??

As Hiro watched as Undyne pulled MK away, he brushed against the flower again, hearing MK's voice. He shook off the remainder of his distress and found a path leading upwards. He soon entered a watery path area dotted with echo flowers and light specks. Each of the echo flower he passed by had a conversation between two monsters. One of them asked the other to not laugh at their wish, which is that they'd climb out of the mountain. They were upset that they were laughed at, but the other stated that they also had the same wish. As he approached dry land, he spotted a sign on the wall and read it.

Hiro: “However, there is a prophecy.” Oh, the prophecy Mr. Gerson talked about! “The Angel...The One Who Has Seen The Surface... They will return. And the underground will go empty.” …..Um....

Hiro had a horrific vision flash through his mind. Monsters were being slaughtered and a shadowed figure with a red smily face stood upon a giant pile of dust. A yellow star descended from the sky and illuminated the figure from behind. The lit-up parts looked similar to him....

Hiro: AAAAAH!!! ….....Why....am I...having these things...? I don't get it....

Hiro staggered his way out of the area and came across a long bridge. He slowly made his way across it, but before he reached the end, MK called out to and approached him, albeit cautiously.

MK: I know I'm not supposed to be here, but...I wanna ask you something.

Hiro: ….Yes?

MK: Man, I never had to ask anyone this before.... Umm...Yo...You're human, right?

Hiro: ….. _(nods)_ ...Yes...

MK: Haha, man! I knew it!

Hiro: Huh?

MK: Well, I know it now, I mean...

Hiro: She told you...huh?

MK _(nods)_ : Undyne told me , um... “stay away from that human.”

Hiro: …..

MK: So...like..umm...I guess that makes us enemies or something. But I kinda stink at that, haha...

Hiro: I don't want it to be that way....

MK _(rubs his foot on the wood of the bridge)_ : ...Yo, say something mean so I can hate you? Please?

Hiro _(shakes his head)_ : No.

MK: Yo, what? So I have to do it? _(mutters under his breath)_ Here goes nothing...

Hiro: ….

MK: Yo, I...I hate your guts.

Hiro: ….Hm.

MK: Man, I..I'm such a turd...

Hiro: No, you're not. I'm not going to- _(a vision flickered, but shakes it off)_ I'm not going to hurt you.

MK: Hmm... I'm..I'm gonna go home now. _(backs up then rushes off, trips then slips off the bridge, catching the edge with his mouth)_ Yo, w-w-wait! Help! I tripped!

Hiro: Oh no! _(spots Undyne appearing across the bridge)_ Ah. _(a vision flickers where Undyne is hurt, but returns as a much stronger monster; it disappears when he hears MK yelling)_ I'll help you! _(rushes over to MK and pulls him up to safety)_

MK: Phew. _(sees Undyne approaching)_ Y..y..yo...dude..If...If y-you wanna hurt my friend...you're gonna have to get through me first.

Hiro: Monster Kid...

Undyne _(backs away)_ : …. _(walks off)_

MK: She's gone. Yo, you really saved my skin.

Hiro: I didn't want you to fall down like that.

MK: Guess being enemies was just a nice thought, haha. We'll just have to be friends instead.

Hiro: Hehe...Yeah, I like that better.

MK: ...Man, I should REALLY go home...I bet my parents are really worried about me. _(walks away before turning back)_ Later, dude!

Hiro: Later! _(watches MK leave)_ That was close....Undyne...I saw her with more spikes...and red? Hmn...I don't wanna meet that version...

Hiro managed to push himself forward from the bridge to another area with a much smaller bridge and into another place where a large cave entrance is present. He was just about to enter it when he noticed someone on top of the pointed cave overlooking the horizon where it was like the sun was on its red stage of setting, crags of rocks lining the landscape, and two towers that look like they were part of the Industrial era. That red tassel...it was Undyne.

Undyne: Seven. Seven human souls, and King Asgore will become a god. Six. That's how many we've collected thus far. Understand?

Hiro: So...they're...dead? Then....it means...

Undyne: Through your seventh and final soul, this world will be transformed. But first, as customary for those who make it this far, I shall tell you the tragic tale of our people. It all started, long ago....

Hiro: ….

Undyne: …..No, you know what? SCREW IT! WHY SHOULD I TELL YOU THAT STORY WHEN YOU'RE ABOUT TO DIE?! NGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!

Hiro: Aah!

The area lit up in a blinding white light, and when Hiro was able to see again, the armored monster had removed her helmet. It turns out that the red tassel was actually Undyne's long red hair and that she is a fish woman. Piercing yellow and green eyes with the left one hidden by a black eyepatch, scaly bluish-green skin, sharp teeth, she looked fierce.

Undyne: YOU! You're standing in the way of everybody's hopes and dreams!

Hiro: Wha- No, I'm not!

Undyne: Alphys's history books made me think humans are cool...with their giant robots and flowery swordswomen...

Hiro: Where did I hear that name before...? Wait, what?

Undyne: BUT YOU? You're just a coward! Hiding behind that kid so you could run away from me again!

Hiro: That's not true!!

Undyne: And let's not forget your wimpy goody-two-shoes-schtick! Oooh! I'm making such a difference by hugging random strangers!

Hiro _(scratches his cheek)_ : I didn't hug everyone...

Undyne: You know what would be more valuable to everyone? IF YOU WERE DEAD!!

Hiro: If...If I was dead?!

Undyne: That's right, human! Your continued existence is a crime! Your life is all that stands between us and our freedom! Right now, I can feel everyone's hearts pounding together! Everyone's been waiting their whole lives for this moment! But we're not nervous at all. When everyone puts their hearts together, they can't lose!

Hiro: ….

Undyne: Now, human! Let's end this. Right here, right now! I'll show you how determined monsters can be! Step forward when you're ready! Fuhuhuhuhuhuhu!

Hiro: Umm.. _(the red word DETERMINATION flashed; he holds his head before the strain fades; notices a Save Star)_ Hmn...Can I just not fight her? _(touches the star)_ But I can't, can I?

A soft breeze became stronger to the point of howling. Hiro had no choice but to face Undyne. He'll get to see whose determination is stronger, his or hers.

Undyne: That's it, then...! No more running away! _(leaps off the mountain and dives at Hiro with her spear pointed down at him)_ HERE I COME!!!

Hiro jumped back as Undyne landed in front of him, the area exploding into gray-scale and his soul was forced out. Before he could do anything, Undyne swiped her spear at his soul, turning it green and finding himself holding a spear. He tried to move away from her, but he found that he couldn't move.

Hiro: What?!

Undyne: Fuhuhu... As long as you're GREEN, you CAN'T ESCAPE! As long as you face danger head on, you won't last a SECOND against me.

Hiro: Oh no!

Hiro was unsure of what to do. He pleaded with Undyne that he didn't want to fight, but his words fell on deaf ears. He managed to block some of the red arrow bullets, but not all of them. He was reprimanded for doing terribly, but he just didn't want to fight her. He missed a few arrows and the last one struck his soul. He could feel himself splitting in half as he watched his soul physically cracked down the middle.

Hiro _(tries to hold his soul together)_ : N....No...don-

With the sound and look like glass shattering, Hiro's soul broke into pieces. His world soon fell into darkness and so did he.

Hiro has died.

~~TO BE CONTINUED~~


	4. LINE 4: A FISHY PREDICAMENT

~~LINE 4: A FISHY PREDICAMENT~~

It was dark. Not the kind of dark Hiro had experienced when he sleeps before the dreams or nightmares come. Not the kind he had when he fell into the trash zone and heard that voice. Not even the kind that he had when he joined Napstablook in their family tradition of feeling like trash while floating in space.

This kind of darkness was the kind when you die.

Floating in this darkness was Hiro. He was killed during a battle with Undyne while trying to defend himself from the small flying spears she launched at him. It felt like he was floating for a long time and he was just about to fade further into this darkness. Until...

….......

….................

….Do......................

…...................Don't giv.............

Hiro _(squints his eyes open)_ : ….Hm....?

…................Don't give up..........!

Hiro: Who...?

??? _(deep echoing voice)_ : It cannot end here!

Hiro: It...can't.....I don't know if I....

???: You cannot give up just yet....

Hiro _(sees a sparking light flickering a large distance away)_ : What's...that? _(floats toward it)_

???: You're going to be all right!

Hiro: I'll....be all right..... _(flies towards the light faster)_ I...I'll be all right!

???: Don't lose hope! Our fate rests upon you....

Hiro: I want to help the monsters escape! _(reaches for the light)_

???: Hiro!

Hiro: I gotta...

???/Hiro: Stay determined!

Hiro reached the light as the area around him lit up in white. As this happened, his Soul reformed from shattering, returning to its red heart shape. When the light faded, Hiro opened his eyes and found himself standing in front of the Save Star. Confused, he looked over himself and made sure he wasn't dreaming. He even slapped his face and pinched his leg, but he was still standing in his spot. He wandered towards the cavern entrance when he heard Undyne's voice ringing out from above.

Undyne: That's it, then...! No more running away! _(leaps off the mountain and dives at Hiro with her spear pointed down at him)_ HERE I COME!!!

Hiro jumped back as Undyne landed in front of him, the area exploding into gray-scale and his soul was forced out. Before he could do anything, Undyne swiped her spear at his soul, turning it green and finding himself holding a spear. He tried to move away from her, but he found that he couldn't move.

Hiro: What?! This is-

Undyne: Fuhuhu... As long as you're GREEN, you CAN'T ESCAPE! As long as you face danger head on... _(flashes a menacing smile)_ ...you won't last a SECOND against me.

Hiro: Oh no!

Hiro was unsure of what to do. He pleaded with Undyne that he didn't want to fight, but his words fell on deaf ears. He hadn't managed to block all of the red arrow bullets before, but this time, he managed to block some of them. He was praised a job well done by Undyne, so she made the bullets move faster. He still didn't want to fight her. He missed a few arrows and the last one struck his soul. Eventually, Hiro was able to handle this second wave of arrows when Undyne swiped at his Soul. He saw it turn red, but didn't see an arrow hit him.

Hiro: OW!! That hurt... _(notices his Soul is red; remembers Undyne mentioning about being unable to escape when his Soul is red and an option of fleeing in his Mercy box; goes Mercy and picks Flee)_

Hiro watched as the area returned to color as does Undyne. While she was distracted by the sudden end of the battle, Hiro took a chance and ran into the entrance behind her, catching her off guard.

Undyne: Wha-?! HEY!! GET BACK HERE!!

As Undyne yelled at him to stop, Hiro ran as fast as his legs could carry him.

Hiro: She's got that heavy-looking armor stuff on her, but I don't! I'm faster!

At least, that's what Hiro thought before he was snatched up by the collar of his sweater and tossed back. He sat up to see himself and Undyne halfway in the hallway, the area went grayscale and his Soul turning green again.

Hiro: Oh man... I thought I was faster... _(cringes back as Undyne towers threateningly over him)_ Eep.

Undyne: For years, we've dreamed of a happy ending... _(sends more arrows at Hiro, seeing them get blocked)_ ...and now, sunlight is within our reach!

Hiro _(frantically blocks the arrows from all sides)_ : Ah!

Undyne: I won't let you snatch it away from us!

Hiro: I...I'm not trying to take anything! I just want to leave! You can bring your friends with us and we can all leave! _(suddenly remembers Papyrus mentioning the barrier keeping the monsters)_ Err... _(watches Undyne crouch to the ground and pound it with her fists)_ Wha-! Un-Undyne!?

Undyne _(stands up, twirling her spear impatiently)_ : NGAAH! Enough warming up! _(sends an onslaught of arrows at Hiro)_

Hiro could barely keep up with the fast-moving arrows and was struck down by a large spear before he realized his Soul returned to red, instead watching it shatter. The next time he woke up, he was in front of the Save Star again. He ended up fighting Undyne again and this time, he managed to avoid the spear as his Soul turned red again. He took this chance again to escape as Undyne was left pointing to the sky heroically. Hiro managed to reach the next area where there is a long marquee sign with the words “Welcome to Hotland!” scrolling by. Once again, he was snatched up and thrown into battle again. Hiro was prepared to block the arrows again, but he hadn't counted on seeing yellow arrows flipping to the back of him.

Hiro: Ah!! What was that! _(watches Undyne point her thumb at her throat and move it from one side to the other)_ I don't know what that means, but I think it's bad...

Undyne was gradually becoming relentless with her arrows and spears as Hiro discovered when eating the other Uni-Cicle he had left to heal his health up. He had to fly around the battlefield quickly to avoid the flying spears. Undyne commented on how Alphys told her how resilient humans are, but she hadn't expected HOW resilient judging by Hiro's determination to survive her battle. But two can play that game. After all, she is the heroine that NEVER gives up. In her inner musing, she spotted him escaping again.

Undyne: GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE PUNK!!

Hiro: No! _(runs further before jolting to a stop as his phone rings)_ Toriel!?

Papyrus: HEY! WHAT'S UP!?

Hiro: P-PAPYRUS!?

Papyrus: I WAS JUST THINKING YOU, ME, AND UNDYNE SHOULD ALL HANG OUT SOMETIME! I THINK YOU WOULD MAKE GREAT PALS! LET'S MEET YOU AT HER HOUSE LATER!

Hiro _(trembling)_ : O..Okay...

During Papyrus's call, Hiro was inwardly panicking as he was more focused on Undyne's shadow covering him and that overbearing presence of her looming over him from behind as she waited. The moment he hung up his phone, Undyne caught him for a third time before he even took a step.

Hiro: Aaah!

Undyne: JUST DIE ALREADY!

Hiro: No!

Undyne was even more relentless with her attacks. So much so that she randomly suplexed a nearby boulder, just because she could. Hiro had gotten used to blocking the arrows and dodging spears before his Soul went red. He took off running towards red exit and was met with hot air and redden dirt. Hiro spotted Sans at his snow-covered station _(how does that work???)_ and made a beeline for him.

Hiro _(slams his hands on the counter)_ : SANS, HELP ME! She's gonna- _(sees Sans sleeping)_ SANS!

Sans: …... _(cracks an eye open then nods his head towards the bridge before closing his eye)_

Hiro: Huh? _(hears Undyne running towards him)_ AAAA!!!

Hiro ran off across the bridge as he heard Undyne berating Sans. He had to stop because he was getting hot and spotted a water cooler nearby. Before he could get to it, he saw Undyne staggering to the end of the bridge.

Undyne _(wheezing)_ : Armor...so....hot... _(staggers closer)_ But I can't...give up... _(sways on her feet then collapses)_

Hiro: Aaah! Undyne! _(looks around worriedly before noticing the water cooler)_ Ah! _(runs over and gets a cup of water)_ This should work. Fish needs water! _(runs over to Undyne and pours the water on her face; steps back)_ I hope this works... _(watches Undyne twitch, then stands back up)_ Yay!

Undyne _(glances around before looking at Hiro, seeing him holding an empty cup; realizes what happened)_ : …..... _(nods, then leaves)_

Hiro _(sighs heavily)_ : That was close... Oh! Sans was here! _(runs over to the station, but doesn't see Sans in it)_ Ah, he's gone. Maybe Undyne made him leave? I wanted to talk to him... _(looks ahead past the station back at the entrance to Waterfall and back ahead of the bridge)_ I want to see if she's okay...

Hiro wanted to go find Undyne, but not only did he not want to walk all throughout Waterfall to find her, but he didn't know where she stayed at. He did remember there was a path he didn't go down when he went to Napstablook's house, so he decided to check there. Until he find a way to find her, he decided to move on. To his surprise, there was a tall opalescent monster with a clam head across the way from the water cooler. Hiro talked to it, causing the clam to open and reveal the real head inside; a round head with short green hair sticking upwards, black sunglasses, and a wide grin. With a cackle, he told Hiro that he came from Waterfall to get a drink of water since he was thirsty. Thinking about it, Hiro was getting thirsty, too, since it was so hot. After getting a drink, he grabbed another one to take with him, only to be ridiculed by the clam monster in his thoughts of Hiro carrying the cup around to look sophisticated. Hiro was not trying to look that way, so he ignored the comment and moved on. Once Hiro entered the next area, he saw the water evaporate from the heat.

Hiro: Wha-aaah! No! The water! _(sees the cup evaporate as well)_ Uuuuh.... _(looks ahead of him)_ Uuuuh...

Ahead of Hiro was a large white structure with a metallic grey door, two long pipes, several circular windows on the sides, and the word “LAB” in red above the door. As he went to go save, he also spotted a pair of guards blocking an entrance. They wore similar armor to Undyne's except the shoulders had a spike on them, and the helmet of the left guard looked like a rabbit with the long ears while the right one was shaped like a dragon. He was anxious about approaching the guards, but it was more worrying to him that had to go through the lab building to get by, seeing as there's no way to bypass it. His only option is to try to go to the open path to the right of him. He spoke to the rabbit guard who told him that Undyne warned of a human in the area. Because of that, the Royal Guards had to block off the elevators. This made Hiro worried, but before he said anything, the guard proclaimed they'll do their best for Undyne, even if the elevators weren't working. The other guard just stared at Hiro silently. Nervously, he headed for the path that took him downstairs and found himself in an area that reminded him of Waterfall. Floating in the waterway was a small boat with a flat surface, a broken curved protrusion on the front, a pair of spikes on the back, and manned by a robed figure.

Hiro: Um...hello?

Robed Figure _(sing-song medium voice)_ : Tra la la. I am the riverman. Or am I the riverwoman...? It doesn't really matter. I love to ride in my boat. Would you like to join me.

Hiro: Um, yes.

Riverperson: Where will we go today? Snowdin? Waterfall?

Hiro: Um, to Waterfall?

Riverperson: Then we're off...

Once Hiro climbed onto the boat, they sailed their way to Waterfall. It was a quiet ride through the waterway for a while until the riverperson spoke up.

Riverperson: Tra la la. Why don't you sing with me. Tra la la.

Hiro: Um, okay. _(hummed a little as they arrived on the shore in Waterfall)_ Ah. _(steps off the boat)_ Thank you.

Riverperson: Come again some time. Tra la la.

Hiro waved at the riverperson before making his way to where Undyne would be. He went past Gerson's shop into the area where the Save Star is. He remembered going to the center and right paths, but not the far left path, so he towards there. As he got closer, he could hear something like a piano getting musically punched. He followed the sounds and found himself across a large house shaped like a giant fish with the sharp teeth as the doors and angry eye windows. Before noticing a dummy on a blue fishbone printed rug, he spotted Papyrus standing in front of the door.

Papyrus: OHO! THE HUMAN ARRIVES! ARE YOU READY TO HANG OUT WITH UNDYNE?

Hiro _(nods worriedly)_ : Yeah. What are we gonna do?

Papyrus: I HAVE A PLAN TO MAKE YOU TWO GREAT FRIENDS! STAND BEHIND ME! _(watches Hiro do so)_ PSST. MAKE SURE TO GIVE HER THIS! _(digs in his pocket and pulls out a yellow bone with a red ribbon tied to it; hands it to Hiro)_ SHE LOVES THESE!

Hiro _(takes the bone)_ : Okay. _(watches Papyrus knock on the door)_ I hope she doesn't hate me...

The music suddenly stopped in response and in a short while, the door opened like a mouth, revealing a very casual Undyne, dressed in a black tanktop, blue jeans, and black boots. Hiro was surprised that she wasn't as buff as her armor made her look, but she still have some form of muscle definition.

Undyne: Hi, Papyrus! Ready for your extra-private, one-on-one training?

Papyrus: YOU BET I AM! AND I BROUGHT A FRIEND! _(steps out of the way revealing Hiro)_

Undyne: Hi, I don't think we've-

There was a sudden uncomfortable silence that fell in the area. Hiro was clutching onto the bone nervously as Undyne stared at him then Papyrus, who was grinning happily.

Undyne: Why don't. You two. Come in. _(walks back inside)_

While Papyrus cheerfully wipes his shoes on the welcome mat, Hiro was getting increasingly nervous. But he was taken by surprise at what he saw inside. Like with Undyne, Hiro thought everything about her would be terrifying. Instead, the interior of the house looked more pleasant. The majority of the area has a blue and yellow checkered floor and the walls have blue wallpaper with pink fishes. There are two areas of striped purple carpet, one by the window and one under an orange table. The table had a lacy white cloth with a fish on it and a two stool chairs, one across the other, and leaning on the wall next to the table is a long bladed sword with a gold and black guard and blue hilt. Closest to the window is a black baby grand piano, which Hiro figure was what Undyne was playing on. Along the wall, it looked like a kitchen area with the sink, stove, and refrigerator by the counter. By the sink is a blue door that Hiro figured was Undyne's room. In his observation, Hiro was suddenly pulled out of his wonderment when Papyrus spoke up about the bone.

Hiro: Oh, uh, here! _(juts the bone out in front of him with his head down; feels it get taken)_

Undyne: Uuhh...thanks. I'll, uh, put it with the others. _(walks over to the sink, pulls open a drawer full of similar bones and places the bone in it)_

Hiro: _Eeeeh?! She had more?!_

Undyne _(rejoins the group)_ : So are we ready to start?

Papyrus _(shifts his eyes away from Undyne)_ : WHOOPSY DOOPSY! I JUST REMEMBERED! I HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM!! YOU TWO HAVE FUN!!!

Hiro: Huh? I haven't see-

Before he could finish his sentence, Papyrus took off towards the window and crashed right through it, breaking it in the process. This action stunned both Undyne and Hiro before they both realized they were alone.

Undyne _(glares)_ : So why are YOU here? To rub your victory in my face? To humiliate me even further? IS THAT IT?

Hiro: No, none of those.

Undyne: Then why are you here?

Hiro: Because Papyrus said we should hang out...?

Undyne: …! I get it. _(sneers)_ You think that I'm gonna be friends with you, huh? Right???

Hiro _(nods)_ : Yeah.

Undyne _(laughs)_ : Really? How delightful!! I accept! Let's all frolick in the fields of friendship!

Hiro _(throws his arms up joyfully)_ : Yay!

Undyne: ...NOT!

Hiro _(drops his arms)_ : E-Eeh, why?

Undyne: Why would I EVER be friends with YOU!?

Hiro _(whimpering)_ : B-Because-

Undyne: If you weren't my house guest, I'd beat you up right now! You're the enemy of everyone's hopes and dreams! I WILL NEVER BE YOUR FRIEND.

As Hiro was on the verge of tears and letting out a whimpering screech while being told to leave, Papyrus returned to the window.

Papyrus: DANG! WHAT A SHAME... I THOUGHT UNDYNE WOULD BE FRIENDS WITH YOU. _(shifts his eyes away from them)_ BUT I GUESS I OVERESTIMATED HER. SHE'S JUST NOT UP TO THE CHALLENGE. _(skips away as Undyne takes a step to the windows)_

Undyne: CHALLENGE!? What!? Papyrus, wait a second...! Darn it! _(glares at Hiro)_ He thinks I can't be friends with YOU?!

Hiro: I-I guess?

Undyne: Fuhuhu! What a joke! I could make friends with a wimpy loser like you any day!

Hiro: O-okay..

Undyne _(sneers at the window)_ : I'll show him. _(looks at Hiro)_ Listen up, human.

Hiro: Y-Yes?

Undyne: We're not just going to be friends. We're going to be... _(cups her cheeks with her hands)_ ...BESTIES. I'll make you like me so much, you won't be able to think of anyone else!!! Fuhuhuhuhu, it's the PERFECT REVENGE!!

Hiro: Y-Yay?

Undyne _(clasps her hands together, smiling)_ : Why don't you have a seat?

Hiro wanted to, but he was curious about the surroundings. Hiro was worried about Papyrus and Undyne retorted that he normally nails the landing. He asked about the piano and Undyne told about Alphys's “friend” who visited her. Apparently, he lied on it seductively and ate grapes. She didn't really like the guy but did admire his lifestyle. Hiro got even more curious about the guy. Hiro spotted the large sword and found it was much larger than he was! Considering that he's a kid. Undyne mentioned that humans suck but she was very fascinated by their history. The giant sword is an example of such history. Humans wielded swords up to 10x their size and asked for Hiro's confirmation. He guessed it was true, he personally hadn't learned about it in school. Undyne had immediately wanted one the moment she heard that, so she and Alphys built the sword together. Undyne praised Alphys for her smarts and it's making Hiro also curious about her. He went over to the fridge and was told by Undyne that she hated cold food, so Alphys made her fridge heat up food instead. Undyne called it a Hot Fridge. Hiro thought it was like a large microwave thing. Hiro went over to the silverware drawer and saw some normal silverware like forks, knives, and spoons, as well as non-silverware like tiny swords, axes, spears, nunchucks... he hoped those were just plastic versions. As he pulled himself away because a flicker of a desire to grab a knife, he moved over to the stove, which Undyne says is a top-of-the-line MTT thing. While she thinks technology advancing is pretty neat, it didn't compare to using fire magic.

Fire magic.

Just thinking about it reminded Hiro of Toriel. He had figured that she had used fire magic to cook and it was making him miss her already. Pondering this, he saw a fish-shaped teacup in the sink. Hiro was curious about Undyne's room, but wasn't allowed to go in. No nerds allowed! ...Or maybe some nerds. Feeling that he explored everything, Hiro went to sit at the table, his feet barely touching the floor.

Undyne: Comfortable?

Hiro: Yes.

Undyne: I'll get you something to drink. _(goes over to the fridge and grabbed a few things, sets out a stack of tea boxes, a blue can of hot chocolate, a bottle of yellow soda, and a sugar cup)_ All set! What would you like?

Hiro: Hmm... _(gets ready to leave his seat)_ I want to see wha-

Hiro froze at the sound of something breaking behind him. He glanced back to see what it was, and it was one of Undyne's spears that was sticking out of the broken-in table. He couldn't tell if he was internally or externally screeching in fear, but that was the sound he felt leaving his throat.

Undyne _(furious)_ : HEY!! DON'T GET UP!! YOU'RE THE GUEST!! SIT DOWN AND ENJOY YOURSELF!!

Hiro _(quickly returns to his seat and tightens his grip on the chair out of fear)_ : Eeeeeeeeeeee.......

Undyne _(calms down)_ : …..Um... Why not just point to what you want? You can use the spear!

Hiro: O-Okay.

Hiro grabbed the spear and weighed his options. Due to the weight of the spear, he accidentally pointed at the fridge, the sword which Undyne would have gladly given Hiro his fill of, and Undyne herself-

Undyne: Are you...hitting on me???

-but he eventually got it to point at the items on the counters and stove. The sugar was for tea, the soda wasn't that great since it rots a lot of things, including one's FIGHTING SPIRIT, the green hot cocoa can was empty _(wasn't it blue??)_ , so the only “blatantly correct” choice was the tea. Hiro asked why she had the soda and Undyne had an odd look on her face. It was kind of cute in a way.

Undyne: ...Tea, huh? Coming right up!

As Undyne was making the tea, Hiro was staring at the spear in his hands. There was a creeping thought in the back of his mind that wants him to throw it into Undyne's back, but he forced it back. He still couldn't understand why these thoughts were constantly trying to push through and it's been scaring him. Like that horrible vision in the Ruins of him having dust all over him and a knife in his hands. That terrified him the most. He didn't hear Undyne say that it'll take a while for the water to boil, since he was concentrated in his conflicting thoughts. So much so, he flinched when Undyne set down the fish teacup in front of him.

Undyne: Careful, it's hot. _(goes to sit on the opposite side of the table)_ It's not that hot, just drink it already!

Hiro: Okay... _(sets the spear down by him and carefully hold the cup; blows on it and takes a sip)_ ACK! _HOT!! Hmn...but it tastes good though..._

Undyne: It's pretty good, right?

Hiro: Hot, but good, yeah.

Undyne _(gloating)_ : Nothing but the best for my ABSOLUTELY PRECIOUS FRIEND!! … Hey... You know... It's kind of strange you chose THAT tea.

Hiro: Which kind? _(taking another careful sip)_

Undyne: Golden Flower tea... That's Asgore's favorite kind.

That name again.

ASGORE.

Hiro nearly burned his mouth while drinking his tea. What's Undyne's version of Asgore going to be? He's heard from Toriel that he was bad, Papyrus thinks he's a pushover, some other monsters think he's friendly, the more versions of Asgore Hiro hears of, the more confused he gets.

Undyne: Actually, now that I think about it... You kind of remind me of him.

Hiro _(surprised)_ : Wha...how?

Undyne _(laughing)_ : You're both TOTAL weenies!!!

Hiro: Aah..

Undyne: ...Sort of. Y'know, I was a pretty hotheaded kid. Once, to prove I was the strongest, I tried to fight Asgore.

Hiro: Eeh?! You did?

Undyne: Yeah, emphasis on TRIED. I couldn't land a single blow on him! And worse, the whole time, he refused to fight back!

Hiro: He did?

Undyne: Yeah, I was so humiliated... Afterwards, he apologized and said something goofy... “Excuse me, do you want to know how to beat me?”

Hiro: What did you say?

Undyne: I said yes, and from then on, he trained me. One day during practice, I finally knocked him down. I felt...bad. But he was beaming... I had never seen someone so proud to get their butt kicked!

Hiro _(sips more of his tea)_ : …..

Undyne: Anyway, long story short, he kept training me, and now I'm the head of the Royal Guard! So I'm the one who gets to train dorks to fight! ...Like, uh, Papyrus.

Hiro: That's right, he wanted to join the Royal Guard, too.

Undyne _(glances at the window then back at Hiro)_ : But, um, to be honest...I don't know if..I can ever let Papyrus into the Royal Guard.

Hiro: Huh? Why not?

Undyne: Don't tell him I said that! He's just...well...I mean, it's not he's weak. He's actually pretty freaking tough!

Hiro: Then why can't he join?

Undyne: It's just that...He's.. He's too innocent and nice!!

Hiro: Eh?

Undyne: I mean, look, he was SUPPOSED to capture you, and he ended up being FRIENDS with you instead! I could NEVER send him into battle! He'd get ripped into little smiling shreds...

Hiro: Oh yeah..

Undyne: That's part of why I started teaching him how to cook, you know? So, um, maybe he can do something else with his life.

Hiro: Ah, so that's why. That's neat.

Undyne _(sudden realizes something)_ : Oh, sorry, I was talking for so long.

Hiro _(moves to drink his tea, but sees his cup empty)_ : Ah.

Undyne: You're out of tea, aren't you? I'll go get you some more.

Hiro: Thank you.

Undyne _(gets up to go to the teapot; stops)_ : Wait a second. Papyrus...His cooking lesson... HE WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE THAT RIGHT NOW!!! And if HE's not here to have it...

Hiro: Oh, that one-on-one train-

Undyne _(turns to Hiro)_ : YOU'LL HAVE TO HAVE IT FOR HIM!!!

Hiro: Wait-

Before Hiro could finish his sentence, he watched Undyne jump on the counter and run across them, kicking off the items.

Undyne: That's right!! NOTHING has brought Papyrus and I closer than cooking! Which means that if I give you his lesson... WE'LL BECOME CLOSER THAN YOU CAN EVER IMAGINE!!! Fuhuhuhu!!! Afraid?! We're gonna be best friends!!!

Hiro: I-

Again, before Hiro could form a sentence, Undyne leapt from the counter, landed by Hiro and grabbed him by his head.

Hiro: AAAAAAAAAAAGHGHH!?!?

Undyne _(leaps back to the counter and sets Hiro down)_ : Let's start with the sauce!! _(lifts her left leg up then stomps)_

Hiro _(watches a group of vegetables falls from nowhere onto the counter)_ : How!?

Undyne: Envision these vegetables as your greatest enemy! Now, pound them to dust with your fists!

Hiro: _I don't know anyone who would be my enemy, but I'll punch it anyway.. (punches a tomato)_ Eeyah! _(knocks over a tomato)_ Oops...

Undyne: YEAH, YEAH!! Our hearts are uniting against these healthy ingredients! NOW IT'S MY TURN! _(lets out a yell then swings her hand, cutting the vegetables in a way that they splatter onto the wall, counter, and her and Hiro)_ Uh, we'll just scrape this into a bowl later.

Hiro: Y-Yeah.

Undyne: But for NOW! _(stomps again; a pot and a box of spaghetti noodles)_ We add the noodles! Homemade noodles are the best! BUT I JUST BUY STORE-BRAND! THEY'RE THE CHEAPEST! NGAAAHHHH!!!

Hiro: O-Okay!

Undyne: Uuh, just put them in the pot.

Hiro: I don't want to break the noodles, so I'll just put in a few at a time. _(puts in the noodles one at a time)_ Huh, it's empty?

Undyne: Wha- Nice??? Y-YEAH, I'M INTO IT!!! Alright! Now it's time to stir the pasta! As a general rule of thumb, the more you stir, THE BETTER IT IS! Ready? Let's do it!

Hiro stirred the pasta as fast as he could, despite noticing there was no water. Undyne urged him to stir harder.

Undyne: HARDER!

Hiro: I am!

Undyne: HARDER!!!!

Hiro: I AM!!

Undyne: Ugh, let me do it! _(conjures up a spear and stabs at the pot until it's bent in most spots)_ Fuhuhuhuhu! That's the stuff!

Hiro: Yeek!

Undyne: Alright, now for the final step: TURN UP THE HEAT! Let the stove symbolize your passion! Let your hopes and dreams turn into burning fire! READY? Don't hold anything back!

Hiro turn the dial right carefully, but Undyne urged him to turn it up higher.

Hiro: But what if we burn the pasta!?

Undyne: Ugh, let me do it! _(turns the dial all the way up until fire rises from the stove)_ See, there's nothing-

Hiro: Undyne-

A flash of light flicker from the stove and engulfed the area. Soon enough, the entire area is on fire.

Undyne: Ah.

Hiro: Are you okay!? _(coughs)_

Undyne: Yeah. Man, no wonder Papyrus sucks at cooking. So what's next? Scrapbooking? Friendship bracelets?

Hiro: We get out of he-

Undyne: ...Oh, who am I kidding. I really screwed this up, didn't I? I can't force you to like me, human. Some people just don't get along with each other. I understand if you feel that way about me. And if we can't be friends, that's okay. Because...if we're not friends...

Hiro: I mean...we still can be frie-

Undyne: IT MEANS I CAN DESTROY YOU WITHOUT REGRET!

Hiro: Wait, no!

Undyne suddenly triggered a grayscale battle, mentioning how she had been defeated, her house was in shambles, and even how she failed to befriend Hiro.

Undyne: That's it. I don't care if you're my guest anymore. One final match! All out on both sides!! IT'S THE ONLY WAY I CAN REGAIN MY LOST PRIDE!!! NOW COME ON! HIT ME WITH ALL YOU GOT! NGAHHHH!!

Hiro: I-I don't want to... _(sees his options)_ _Fake Attack...?_ Hmn... _(balls his hand into a fist) I hope this works!_ Hyaaaah!!

Hiro hit Undyne with all of his “might”, and saw a green bar appear over her head with a red 1 popping up. He could have sworn he saw more numbers popping up, and apologized profusely while on the verge of tears.

Undyne: What. That's the best you can manage? Even attacking at full force...

Hiro: I didn't want to hurt you!

Undyne: You just can't muster any intent to hurt me, huh?

Hiro: No...

Undyne: Heh, you know what? _(drops her spear)_ I don't actually want to hurt you either.

Hiro: Really?

Undyne: Yeah. At first, I hated your saccharine schtick, but the way you hit me right now, it...reminded me of someone I used to train with.

Hiro: Asgore?

Undyne: Hmm...Now I know you aren't just a wimpy loser. _(grins)_ You're a wimpy loser with a big heart! Just like him...

Hiro: Undyne...

Undyne: Listen, human. It seems that you and Asgore are fated to fight.

Hiro: Hmn...

Undyne: But knowing him...he probably doesn't want to.

Hiro: Probably?

Undyne: Talk to him. I'm sure you can persuade him to let you go home. Eventually, some mean human will fall down here, and I'll take THEIR soul instead. That makes sense, right? Fuhuhu.

Hiro: Maybe.

Undyne: Oh, and if you DO hurt Asgore... _(glares)_ I'll take the human souls, cross the barrier, and beat the hell out of you! _(grins)_ That's what friends are for, right? Fuhuhuhu.

Hiro: I uuuh...guess? _NO!!_

Undyne: Now let's get the hell out of this flaming house!

After leaving the battlefield, they left the house. What was once fierce eyes, the fish house tearfully has flames blazing out of them.

Undyne: Well, that was fun, huh? We'll have to hang out again another time...! But, uh, somewhere else I guess. In the meantime, I guess I'll go hang with Papyrus. So if you need me, drop by Snowdin, OK!?

Hiro: Okay. I'll let Papyrus know!

Undyne: Oh! And if you ever need help, just give Papyrus a ring, ok? Since we're in the same spot, I'll be able to talk too!

Hiro: Okay!

Undyne: Well, see ya later, punk!! _(runs off)_

Hiro watched as Undyne dashed out of the area on her way to Snowdin. He went to contact Papyrus and found out that Undyne had just arrived in Snowdin.

Hiro: Already!?

After talking to Papyrus and Undyne somehow, Hiro went to return to Hotland. As he did, he thought about what Undyne said about Asgore. She used to be trained by him, so now Asgore is kind enough to train someone like Undyne.. His impression of the king is getting more and more muddled. If everyone loved Asgore so much, why did Toriel make it sound like he's bad? Like Undyne said, he and Asgore are probably fated to face each other, but he will talk to him. At least, at the same time, not allow the visions to overtake him and make him do something he'll regret. He also thought about how he died and came back to life during Undyne's fight in Waterfall. He didn't want to experience that again, but he was also curious as to who called out to him. Hiro soon arrived back in Hotland by use of the Riverperson's boat and made his way back to the doors of the white laboratory.

Hiro: Undyne mentioned someone named Alphys. I wonder what she's like. Undyne seemed to like her a lot. _(stops in front of the doors)_ Hmm... All right. Let's go. _(walks to the doors, watches them open, then goes inside)_

~~TO BE CONTINUED~~


	5. LINE 5: HOT TIMES IN HOTLAND

~~LINE 5: HOT TIMES IN HOTLAND~~

It was dark. But not as dark as it was when Hiro “died”. There was a faint spotlight that followed him as he made his way inside the lab, so there was some light that guided him. He could somewhat tell that there is a square trim along the bottom of the off-cream color wall and the light blue tiles on the floor. It was when he went in further that he spotted something glowing the opposite wall. He spotted a screen on a sort of large gray viewing console with some buttons and video controls.

Hiro: It's me...? _(looks around)_ I don't see a camera thing anywhere... _(moves around)_ I can't see... _(almost trips on something)_ Agh! What was that? _(stumbles forward)_ Awah! _(hears a mechanical sound whirring)_ Huh?

The whirring sound came to a slow stop and a ding rang from ahead of him. Hiro could hear something opening and an odd skritching sound coming from the floor. Once the lights clicked on, he was able to see what made the noise. He spotted a yellow walking lizard with its front teeth poking out of its snout and wearing round full-frame glasses and a white lab coat. It seemed to be timid in nature, but she was quite shocked to see Hiro as he found out by her nasally voice.

Lizard _(grabs her head)_ : Oh. My god. _(flails while looking around in a panic)_ I didn't expect you to show up so soon! I haven't showered, I'm barely dressed, it's all messy, and...

Hiro: Huh?

Lizard _(faces Hiro)_ : Umm... H-H-Hiya! I'm Dr. Alphys. I'm Asgore's royal scientist!

Asgore's royal scientist...?

Hiro: You're Dr. Alphys? _(becomes cautious)_ Are you...

Alphys: Ah? B-B-But, ahh, I'm not one of the “bad guys”! Actually, since you stepped out of the Ruins, I've, um...been “observing” your journey through the console. Your fights... Your friendships... Everything!

Hiro: The camera... _It was her? Wait.. (sweats a little) ..She saw everything?_

Alphys: I was originally going to stop you, but...watching someone on the screen really makes you root for them. S-So, ahh, I want to help you!

Hiro: Help me?

Alphys _(nods)_ : Yep! Using my knowledge, I can guide you through Hotland! I know a way right to Asgore's castle, no problem!

Hiro: Really? Thanks! _I don't wanna go to Asgore's castle..._

Alphys _(thinks)_ : ….Well, actually, umm, there's just a tiny issue.

Hiro: Issue? _Was that a sneeze, or..?_

Alphys: A long time ago, I made a robot named Mettaton. Originally, I made him to be an entertainment robot. Um, you know, like a robotic TV star or something.

Hiro: Oh cool!

Alphys: Isn't it? Anyway, recently I decided to make him more useful. You know, just some small practical adjustments.

Hiro: Really? Like what?

Alphys: Like, um... _(glances away nervously)_ Anti...anti-human combat features?

Hiro: What.

Alphys: Of c-course, when I saw you coming, I immediately decided... I have to remove those features!

Hiro: Oh. Yay!

Alphys: Unfortunately, I may have made teensy mistake while doing so. And, um....

Hiro: Hm?

Alphys _(sweats nervously)_ : Um...Now he's an unstoppable killing machine with a thirst for human blood?

Hiro: …..Whaaaat?

Alphys: Eheheheheheheh.....heh.

Hiro: Alphys...

Alphys: But, hmm, hopefully we won't run into him!

Hiro: I hope so, too.

When Hiro and Alphys were about to move, a loud banging sound rang out. They both looked around in confusion while Alphys asked about the sound. Soon after, five more bangs occurred, one louder than the last.

Alphys: Oh no.

Hiro: What's that?

After Hiro asked that, a flash of light engulfed the area before the actual lights went out. Suddenly, a loud robotic male voice rang out joyfully.

???: OHHHH YES! WELCOME, BEAUTIES...

A moment later, a spotlight illuminated a rectangular box robot with his gloved hands clutching a microphone, the grid screen glowing yellow, the linear speaker projecting his voice, his four dials pointing in various directions, and the single wheel that carried his boxy form. He was apparently the one that broke through the wall as Hiro and Alphys spotted the hole behind him.

??? _(a red M flashes on his screen)_ : …. TO TODAY'S QUIZ SHOW!!!

A large yellow-bordered black rectangular sign with the words “GAME SHOW” written in a whimsical red and pink letters descended from the ceiling along with a pair of color strobe lights and a rain of confetti. Hiro was in awe while Alphys was worried.

Robot: OH BOY! I CAN ALREADY TELL IT'S GONNA BE A GREAT SHOW! EVERYONE GIVE A BIG HAND FOR OUR WONDERFUL CONTESTANT! _(claps as confetti rained on Hiro)_

Hiro: Whoa!

Robot: NEVER PLAYED BEFORE, GORGEOUS?

Hiro _(shakes his head)_ : No, I haven't!

Robot: NO PROBLEM! IT'S SIMPLE! THERE'S ONLY ONE RULE.

Hiro: Okay!

Robot: ANSWER CORRECTLY... _(drum rolls)_ ….OR YOU DIE!!!

Hiro: Wait!?

Hiro was forced into a grayscale battle where Alphys is by the robot, whom he found out is Mettaton _(THAT Mettaton!?!)_ on the opposite side of the field. To Hiro's dismay, Mettaton's body renders him invulnerable to attacks and this sudden change made him cry. He noticed a sign nearby saying “screaming is against the rules”.

Mettaton: LET'S START WITH AN EASY ONE! _(moves over and a block of text and four choices by the green letters appear)_

What's the prize for answering correctly?

A. Money

B. Mercy

C. New car

D. More questions

Hiro: Uh, um! _(touches C)_ A car! _(gets shocked)_ AAAGH?!!

Mettaton: OH SORRY, THAT WAS WRONG. NEXT QUESTION!

What's the king's full name?

A. Lord Fluffybuns

B. Fuzzy Pushover

C. Asgore Dreemurr

D. Dr. Friendship

Hiro _(immediately flies to the C answer when he sees it)_ : Asgore Dreemurr!

Mettaton; CORRECT! WHAT A TERRIFIC ANSWER!

Hiro: Yay! _(sees Alphys give a thumb's up and does the same)_

Mettaton: ENOUGH ABOUT YOU. LET'S TALK ABOUT ME!

What are robots made of?

A. Hopes & Dreams

B. Metal &Magic

C. Snips & Snails

D. Sugar & Spice

Hiro _(hits the B answer)_ : Metal and magic! I guess?

Mettaton: TOO EASY FOR YOU, HUH??? HERE'S ANOTHER EASY ONE FOR YOU!

The moment Hiro saw the next question, his mind went blank. All he read was something about two trains leaving their respective station at the same time. He only had seconds to spare when he noticed Alphys making a letter shape with her hands. It looked like a D. Unsure if she was trying to help him, Hiro went to the D answer quickly.

Hiro: Th-This answer! The thirty-two dot zero fifty-eight minutes one!

Mettaton: I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU GOT IT, BUT AMAZING! DON'T 'COUNT' ON YOUR VICTORY..

How many flies are in this jar?

A. 54

B. 53

C. 55

D. 52

The flies were moving too much for Hiro to really count, but Alphys helped him with the answer, so he went accordingly.

Hiro _(hits the A answer)_ : Uh, A? 54?

Mettaton: WONDERFUL! YOU GOT IT RIGHT!!

Hiro: Y-Yay!

Mettaton: LET'S PLAY MEMORY GAME. _(reveals an image of half of a Froggit's head)_

What monster is this?

A. Froggit

B. Whimsun

C. Moldsmal

D. Mettaton

Hiro: That's easy! _(hits A)_ It's Froggit! _(gets shocked)_ WHY!? _(watches the image get bigger and showing Mettaton with Froggit's face)_ Wha...

Mettaton: BOY, THAT'S EMBARRASSING, HUH? BUT CAN YOU GET THIS ONE??

Would you smooch a ghost?

All of the answers show Heck Yeah. Hiro was at a loss at what to do, so he just picked a random answer.

Mettaton: GREAT ANSWER! I LOVE IT!!

Hiro: Errr....

Mettaton: HERE'S A SIMPLE ONE.

How many letters in the name Mettaton nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn......

Hiro despairingly watched as the letter N wrapped around the area and the number answers rapidly increase as it did so. He glanced over at Alphys and saw her make a C. At this point, he's unsure of this game and took whatever help he could get, so he answered C.

Mettaton: TIME TO BREAK OUT THE BIG GUNS!!

In the dating simulation video game “Mew Mew Kissy Cutie”, what is Mew Mew's favorite food?

Hiro: I don't-

Alphys _(waves her hand excitedly)_ : Oh! Oh! I know this one! IT'S SNAIL ICE CREAM! In the fourth chapter, everyone goes to the beach! And she buys ice cream for all of her friends!! But it's snail-flavored and she's the only one who wants it!! It's one of my favorite parts of the game because it's actually a very powerful message about friendship and... _(realizes what she did; sweats)_ ….

Hiro _(surprised)_ : Uh.....what?

Mettaton: ALPHYS, ALPHYS, ALPHYS. YOU AREN'T HELPING OUR CONTESTANT, ARE YOU?

Alphys _(shakes her head nervously)_ : No-

Mettaton: OOOOH!! YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME. I'LL ASK A QUESTION YOU'LL BE SURE TO KNOW THE ANSWER TO!

Hiro: Uh oh...

Who does Dr. Alphys have a crush on?

A. Undyne

B. Asgore

C. The human

D. Don't know

Hiro was unsure at first, then he remembered his conversation with Undyne and chose A. He saw the flustered look on Alphys's face as she tried to hide it while trembling in embarrassment and was unsure of why.

Mettaton: SEE ALPHYS? I TOLD YOU IT WAS OBVIOUS. EVEN THE HUMAN FIGURED OUT.

Hiro: Wait, what was? What did I do? Wait, Alphys likes Undyne?

Mettaton: YES, SHE SCRAWLS HER NAME IN THE MARGINS OF HER NOTES. SHE NAMES PROGRAMMING VARIABLES AFTER HER. SHE EVEN WRITES STORIES OF THEM TOGETHER...SHARING A DOMESTIC LIFE. PROBABILITY OF CRUSH: 101 PERCENT. MARGIN OF ERROR. ONE PERCENT.

Hiro: Eh? That doesn't sound so bad.

Mettaton: WELL WELL WELL. WITH DR. ALPHYS HELPING YOU, THE SHOW HAS NO DRAMATIC TENSION! WE CAN'T GO ON LIKE THIS!! BUT. BUT!! THIS WAS JUST THE PILOT EPISODE!!

Hiro: Really?

Mettaton: NEXT UP, MORE DRAMA! MORE ROMANCE!! MORE BLOODSHED!! UNTIL NEXT TIME, DARLINGS... _(pulls his arms and wheel inside himself and rockets away, ending the “quiz show”)_

As color returned to the area, Alphys and Hiro stood in silence, bewildered at what just occurred, especially in Hiro's case. It was a while before Alphys finally spoke up.

Alphys: …..Well, that was certainly something.

Hiro: I-It was...

Now that the lights are on, Hiro has a much better view of the area. He saw a large brown desk that's an absolute mess. Besides the PC monitor, keyboard, and tower, there are piles of written notes and empty bowls of whatever that was in them. There are two cups, one shaped like a lizard, and an action figure of a cat-eared female human. By the desk is a large grey refrigerator, and a large purple bag of dog food. Hiro hadn't seen a dog yet, so he figured it was elsewhere in the lab. Before he moved on, Alphys stopped him.

Alphys: Wait, wait!

Hiro _(watches her run up to him; realizes she's a bit taller than him)_ : Yeah?

Alphys: Let me give you my ph-phone number! Th-Then...m-maybe...If you need help, I could...

Hiro: No, it's okay! _(takes his phone out of his pocket)_ Here it is! What's your number?

Alphys _(surprised)_ : Wh...Where'd you get that phone!? It's ANCIENT!

Hiro _(hands her the phone)_ : Eh? What's wrong with it?

Alphys: What's wrong with it? A lot! _(looks over it and notices some things)_ It doesn't even have texting....

Hiro: It doesn't? I didn't know that.

Alphys: W-Wait a second, please!

Hiro watched as she walked off with his phone. Soon, he started hearing banging sounds, ringing sounds, drilling sounds, a random meow, and a shriek. He was beginning to become concerned about those noises, but Alphys returned with his phone fully upgraded. He saw that even the appearance changed. It looked more like one of those new smartphones he saw on the surface. It was mostly black with the corner and bottom side parts in lavender, a key chain hoop being on the left side, a spot where a camera lens is, and the top half has a screen and the bottom has a lavender keypad section.

Alphys: Here, I upgraded it for you! It can do texting, items, it's got a key chain, I even signed you up for the underground's No. 1 social network! Now we're officially friends! Ehehehe!

Hiro: Oh cool! Thanks, Alphys!

Alphys: N-No problem! Heheh..heh..

There was an awkward silence from Alphys as Hiro examined his newly upgraded phone. He hadn't noticed this until she finally spoke up.

Alphys: I'm going to the bathroom. _(rushes off)_

Hiro: Huh? _(sees Alphys run inside the room she left earlier)_ Oh.

Hiro poked around further in his phone. It had the standard wallpaper on it, a few apps, his standard information, his old contacts, and the black panels are now projected from the camera lens on the back of his phone. He even spotted the words Dimensional Box A and B. He selected the first box and saw everything has in the boxes he went to before.

Hiro: Oh wow! I can even get my stuff from those boxes anytime! _(looks around at the area)_ Hmm, I want to look around.

Hiro was able to take a much closer look at everything in the lab. He recognized a puzzle that he saw in Snowdin on the computer, which reminded him of what Papyrus had said about it being made by Alphys, the notes looked like chicken scratch but they seemed to be a game guide, the figurine of the cat girl looked a little beat-up than he thought, the lizard teacup has soda in it, the refrigerator is filled with instant noodles and soda _(which Hiro snuck a noodle package into his phone as a test)_ , and the dog food bag is half-full. After finishing exploring the first floor, he saw that there's a second floor. As he headed there, he spotted Alphys's feet from under the door. He went past there and went up the escalator and saw more things to look at. Along the opposite side of the second floor is a conveyor belt much like the ones he's seen at an airport the one time he got on a plane for the first time. There are five tall orange bookshelves, each color-coded from left to right: red, blue, yellow, green, and light green. Hiro started with the light green one and saw that they were scientific books. A lot of them are dusty, which Hiro hoped it was normal dust. The green-filled bookshelf have books labeled “Human History” and Hiro pulled one out. He noticed that it was a comic of a giant robot fighting a beautiful alien princess.

Hiro: Eh? Hmm.. this looks cool. _(read a few pages then puts it back)_ It's a comic book, but why is it called Human History? _(goes to the yellow-filled bookshelf and sees VHSes and DVDs of various cartoons.; they're labeled “Human History”)_ What..? _(goes to the blue-filled bookshelf)_ Human History... _(pulls out a book and looks inside; sees two chefs with very little clothing flinging energy pancakes at each other)_ Uh...I don't remember that in History class.... _(goes to the red-filled bookshelf and pulls out a book; it's a comic of a hideous android running to school with toast in its mouth, possibly running late; puts the book back)_ ...Aren't these just comics and cartoons? ...Was this the Human History Undyne was talking about? Huh...

Hiro pondered this until he saw a strange machine under a tool rack. It has two levers, one on each side, with a window to see some green stuff inside, the opening on top is full of what looks like grass and a long hose with some strange pink goop dripping into a bowl. By the machine is a dusty work station table. There's a power drill and a chainsaw on the table along with a long paper that has an upside-down heart pointing to a rightside-up one pointing to what looks like a body pointing to scribbled notes. Hanging over the table on the wall was a pink-scale landscape poster of a cat-eared human girl surrounded by hearts, winking, and making peace signs. Next to the table is a pink wardrobe full of dirty lab coats and a single clean dress, and next to that is an end table. It has a bulbless blue lamp with the shade having pink fishes on it and a stack of unopened letters from different monsters.

Hiro: Froggit, Snowy, Doggo.. Maybe she just got them?

Hiro soon spotted a large light blue cube under another landscape poster that has a heart and some strange symbols that maybe in another language. The box looks like some kind of invention. Hiro didn't see a bed anywhere, so he figured that may be it.

Hiro: How does she sleep on it? Hmm.

The end of the second floor has a poster on the wall before the down escalator. It was purple with the silhouette of Mettaton under a pink spotlight. It turned out to be a promo poster of Mettaton's TV premiere. Hiro was not too fond of the robot's “quiz show”, but he noticed somethings on the flap.

Hiro: “Thank you for making my dreams come true.” Huh.

Feeling like he's seen everything he could, Hiro went downstairs and left the building out the opposite way. As he walked on, he heard a quick jingle from his phone and checked it. There was a notification showing that ALPHYS had updated her status.

  * just realized I didn't watch undyne fight the human v.v




Hiro: Eh? Oh, is that the social network thing? She did sign me up.. _(puts the phone in his pocket; hears it ring again)_ Eh?

  * well I know she's unbeatable i'll ask her abt it later ^.^




Hiro: All I did was run from Undyne. I don't know how she is in a real fight.. _(hears the phone go off)_ Eh?

  * For now I gotta call up the human and guide them =^.^=




Hiro: ...Huh? Hmm. _(walks further to the next area where there are two sets of conveyor belts connected to four pipes; flanking the sides are pipes blowing blue flames at times)_ It's those moving path things again. _(sees the left conveyor moving ahead of him)_ This way. _(steps onto it; sees the area go grayscale)_ Uwaa!

On the conveyor belt, Hiro met what looks like a little four-legged volcano. He found out its name is Vulkin and it just strolled up near him. He also read that the monster believe its lava can heal people. Even Hiro knows from his Science class that lava is too hot to touch, he's seen those videos. Hiro's other options here are Criticize, Encourage, and Hug.

Vulkin: You're hurt! I'll help!!

All of a sudden, two vortexes of flame ran up the sides of the area with large embers being flung out at him. He got hit at few times, but he made it through. As Vulkin made a smoke hoop and jumped through it, Hiro looked through his options, didn't want to criticize it, so he gave the Vulkin some encouragement.

Hiro: Hey, Vulkin! You're doing a great job!

Vulkin: Ahh! Ahh! Does my best!

The same firenadoes appear again and Hiro carefully dodged the embers. Afterwards, he watched the Vulkin parades around him proudly. Hiro decided to give Vulkin a hug, but that turned out to be a really bad idea and he had to deal with the firenadoes again. At least Vulkin was happy. As soon as he was able to, Hiro spared the monster and was able to move on. As he stepped off the conveyor belt and headed up the path, his phone went off.

  * gonna call them in a minute!!! =^.^=




Hiro: Eh? She will? Huh.

Hiro found himself before more conveyor belts. Before he went to them, he heard the sound of an airplane flying nearby and the area went grayscale. Suddenly, a miniature airplane wearing a puffy hat with a large ribbon on it got in his way, not on purpose or anything. He checked his options and found Approach and Flirt.

Hiro: Again with Flirt? I'll just check it. _(chooses Check)_ Eerrr... T..sun...der..plane? “Seems mean, but does it secretly likes you?” Wha...?

Tsunderplane: No way! Why would I like YOU?!

Tiny airplanes flew across the area, dropping bombs everywhere. Hiro had to fly all around to avoid the bombs and smoke. Afterwards, he saw Tsunderplane give a condescending barrel roll. He wasn't sure of what to do, so he decided to try and get close to the plane, catching the scent of an airport perfume counter. He thought of this because he remembered his mother browsing some at one point.

Tsunderplane: Eeeeh? H-Human..?

Hiro saw some small planes with a green aura around them flying by, He was able to touch the auras and as he did, he noticed some pink appearing on its...cheeks? The plane dismissively shook her nose at him. Hiro decided to try and complement Tsunderplane's features, like its cute winglets and its impressive wings.

Tsunderplane _(blushing)_ : Ah...Is that true..?

Hiro: Yeah! I like the movies and books you have, too!

Tsunderplane _(blushing harder)_ : Human...I... _(looks away shyly)_

Hiro and Tsunderplane chatted about the movies and books before he spared her. After that, he walked onto the triple conveyor belts and zigzagged his way up and along the pipes ahead. He made it to the next area where he can hear the whooshing sound of steam and cogs. This somehow fills him with determination as he touched the Save Star to update his latest location. Hiro saw that the location is called Magma Chamber, and before he could see what was ahead, his phone went off.

  * I HATE USING THE PHONE I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS LMAO ^.^




Hiro: Uuh... Okay...? _(pockets his phone; sees various platforms with puffs of steam and glowing red arrows)_ What do these do? _(steps on the platform closest to him, gets launched to the other area ahead)_ AAAAH!! _(lands)_ Gaaah... _(sees the area turn grayscale)_ AAH?

Hiro floated up to see a monster that looks like a walking rope coil with a flaming head and white sneakers similar to his. The monster is called Pyrope and the options presented are Cool Down, Heat Up, and Invite. Apparently, the Pyrope is never warm enough as it asked if it was cold. Before Hiro could say anything, there were bombs bouncing into the area. He was able to fly fast and far enough to avoid the explosions. Soon after the explosions ended, Hiro caught the scent of rope burn. He tried Invite, but the Pyrope said he was tied up. Hiro tried Heat Up and a thermostat appeared. He never really messed with things like that at home, but he figured it can't hurt. He started to turn it up a bit while noticing the Pyrope getting excited. Hiro also noticed the area was getting a little wavy.

Pyrope: Hot!! HOT!! Hotter! HOTTER!!

Hiro had to dodge the bombs again before turning up the heat again. Unfortunately, it was getting too hot, but Pyrope looks satisfied. Pyrope wanted it to be even hotter, and there were strings of rope that have some flames on the ropes. He couldn't figure out the ropes until the last few when he had to move through the flames. The area is sweltering and Hiro was feeling it. He did it again and he can barely see much because it's SOOOO hot. He dodged the bombs again and was able to spare Pyrope. The temperature dropped to normal _(in Hotland terms)_ and Hiro ate one of his foods. As he was getting launched from platform to another, he got an update.

  * Omg ive had my claw over the last digit for 5 minutes

  * omg i'm just gonna do it

  * i'm just gonna call!!!!




Hiro: Err... Should I call her? I don't think she gave me her number... _(gets launched to a spot before another area and gets a phone call)_ It's her! _(answers)_ He-

Click!

Hiro: …..Uum... _(looks at his phone)_ …. That was Alphys, right? Hmm.. _(goes to the next area where he spots a series of pods shining blue and orange lights and gets a call)_ Hello!?

Alphys: Uuh! H-Hi, so, the blue lasers... Uhh! I mean, Alphys here! Hi!

Hiro: Hi, Alphys! I heard blue lasers...

Alphys: Y-Yeah, the blue lasers won't hurt you if you don't move!

Hiro: Like San's blue stop sign thing...

Alphys: O-Orange ones, um... Y-You have to be moving, and they... They won't, um... Move through those ones! _(silent)_ Uuh, bye! _(hangs up)_

Hiro: Okay... _(sees a notification pop up)_

  * OMG I DID IT!!! claws haven't shook like that since undyne called me to ask about the weather... v.v




Hiro: There's weather here? Hmm.. there is the snow in Snowdin and the rain in Waterfall, so I guess that counts..? _(puts his phone away and glances at the lasers)_ So... orange, move and blue, stop. Okay!

Hiro moved through the first two orange lasers and approached the blue laser. Upon hearing the phone go off, Hiro froze just short of the laser.

  * WAIT THERE'S NO WEATHER DOWN HERE WHY DID SHE CALL ME




Hiro: Gah! Phew...

Hiro moved forward a little before stopping as the blue laser went through him. He hurried past the orange one and stopped on the blue one. When it passed, he ran through the orange one, carefully went through two blue lasers, and walked through the last orange laser. He soon spotted a pillar with a red switch and pressed it, watching the lasers turn off.

Hiro: Phew, it's over.

Hiro continued into the next area before receiving another update.

  * Oh My God I Forgot to Tell THem Where To Go




A moment later, Hiro saw a picture appear on the screen with the words “CUte PIC OF ME RIGHT NOW ^.^”. It was of a garbage can with several pink, glittery filters over it.

Hiro: ...Why did I get a picture of a trash can? Did Alphys send the wrong picture? Huh. _(approaches a large area with more arrowed platforms; gets a phone call)_ Hello?

Alphys: A-A-Alphys here!!!! Th...The northern door will stay locked until you...s-solve the puzzles on the right and left! I...I think you sh-should g-g-go to the right first! _(hangs up)_

Hiro: ….Okay. _(looks around)_ The right...

It took him a while to figure out the platforms, but he eventually got to the right side of the area. He entered an area where there's an entrance with an arrow pointing up across from two monsters sitting on the ledge. One is a green bovine-like monster wearing a blue business suit, white polo shirt, blue tie, and black glasses and shoes. The other is humanesque one covered in black flame and wearing a white glasses, white tanktop shirt, and green pants. He was holding a cup of what Hiro assumed was coffee by the way steam was wafting from it.

Green Bovine: The way to work is blocked, I had to catch Mettaton's show on my phone... The special effects were amazing today! The human almost looked REAL!

Hiro: Uh...yeah, that's neat... Wait, you two know Mettaton?

Black flame Monster: Mettaton? Yeah, he's the most popular star in the underground! His fan club probably has at least two..no, THREE dozen members!

Hiro: Huh...

By his experience with running into Mettaton, Hiro was less likely to join that fan club. Before he entered the room ahead, he got a status update from Alphys.

  * wonder if it would be unfun if I explained the puzzle...




Hiro: Hmm, can't be that bad. _(walks into the room)_

The room is large and dark with a large screen ahead that has a smaller square with six more smaller squares in that one, three on opposite sides from top to bottom. Four of the six squares are white and two are black. There are two V-shaped arrows with the ends pointing at each other and the one closest to Hiro is yellow. He soon spotted a sheet on paper to the left of the split path that has instructions for the puzzle, a red bordered panel that looks to be the controls for the puzzle, and loitering in the right corner is a disembodied orange cat head wearing black sunglasses.

Hiro _(reads the instructions on the paper)_ : Shoot the opposing ship... Move the boxes to com..complete your..mission... Cool! _(looks at the cat head)_ Creepy.... _(walks up to it)_ Hello..

Cat Head _(bouncing)_ : The door leading through the area is closed? So I tried the puzzle? But I kept running out of ammo, and it kept restarting? And my two coworkers won't help? It's like they don't wanna go to work?

Hiro: Uh...I guess? _(walks back to the red panel and touches it)_ Must be those two I met earlier. Whoa! It lit up! _(sees two red teardrop items with the pointed parts facing Hiro)_ I got two ammo? Hmm, okay! This is easy!

It wasn't easy. It took him some time before he figured out he had to move the black boxes use a bullet for a box before destroying the ship.

Hiro: Yeah!

Cat Head: Wow? You solved it? I'm impressed? You must be a total nerd?

Hiro: Than- Wait, what? _He called me a nerd?!_

Hiro left the puzzle room and noticed the arrow above the entrance lit up. He thought nothing of it and left the area to the crossroad. He launched himself with the steam platforms to reach the left side and into the next area. He soon saw another one of those blue lasers from before spotting a pair of monsters hanging around the far end of the area away from the entrance. From the outfit which has a white longsleeved top, black collar, pink ribbon, black pleated skirt, white kneehigh socks _(the green flame monster has ankle socks)_ and black shoes, they look like school girls. The one closet to the entrance is a purple monster with two pairs of horns, the top pair pointing up and bottom pair down, black eyes with red irises, and wearing a red baseball cap on her left horns and her foot on a red skateboard. The other monster is a green flame monster. Hiro thought about Grillby before he interrupted by a call from Alphys.

Alphys: Alphys! Here!

Hiro: Ah, hey, this laser's blue!

Alphys: Th-That laser seems totally impassible! B-B-But! As the Royal Scientist, I h-have some tricks up my sleeve! I'll h-hack into the Hotland laser database and take it out!

As soon as she hung up, the laser was shut off. He soon went over to the purple monster and talked to her.

Purple Monster: We were hanging out when suddenly, a buncha puzzles reactivated out of nowhere. This is a huge problem... It rules! They've GOTTA cancel school over this!

Hiro: Wish my school did, too...

Green Flame Monster: Finally! Someone turned off that laser! Now that we're free, we can... Well, uh, I guess we'll just keep standing here.

When Hiro entered the room, the setup was similar to the previous room, except the box square is bigger and there were ten boxes. Again, it took him longer to figure out the black boxes before managing to open a path for the bullet.

Hiro: That was hard... Are they all like this...?

Hiro left the area and saw that the only place left was north, but he did remember seeing a branching path on the way to the laser row area, so he went back. Luckily he turned the lasers off and he was able to get to that other path. In the large area, there are three rock platforms with the center having a launch pad, a split conveyor path that meets in the center rounding from the outer platforms. On the platform on his right, Hiro spotted a flying pan and wanted to get it. He launched himself over, retrieved it and equipped it before returning to the crossroads where he did the box puzzles. He launched himself up and approached a large pair of dark blue doors with a flashing circular green light on each of them. When Hiro drew closer, the doors split open, letting him walk inside. He entered into the area and spotted another steam launch pad before receiving another update.

  * whatever!!! i'll just explain it!!!




Hiro: Explain what? _(gets a call and answers)_ Hello?

Alphys: Uuuh, I think.. Umm... Hey! About the puzzles on the left and right...! They're a bit difficult to explain, but...

Hiro: Oh, those? I beat them!

Alphys: ...uuuh, you already s-solved them? Awesome! _(hangs up)_

Hiro: ….Thanks? _(pockets his phone)_ Okay...

Hiro used the launch pads to hop his way to the other side and landed on a light blue path covered in a light-green polka-dots. He walked inside the area and it was pitch black with no light. He couldn't even see in front of him. A little light flashed in his pocket and he was able to take out his phone and answer it.

Alphys: H-Hey, it's kind of dark in there, isn't it?

Hiro: Yeah... It's too creepy in here...

Alphys: Don't worry! I'll hack into the light system and brighten it up!

  
  


As soon as the lights turned on, Hiro was able to see his surroundings, which turned out to be a kitchen. There's a small wall lamp next to a refrigerator that was by a long counter that has a carton of eggs, milk, and sugar, a large curtained window with a sky background, two small spice racks on the wall, a separate smaller counter with a microwave on top and a cupboard above that, and a stove right beside the counter. He found himself standing before a long island counter that has a green bottle of hand soap by the sink and a brown cutting board, a blue bowl, and utensils on it. There's also a section above that turned out to be green rafters of some sort. The floor was the same as the path that lead into the kitchen.

Hiro: It's a kitchen!

Alphys: Oh no.

Mettaton _(appears from below wearing a tall chef's hat)_ : OHHHH YES!!!

Hiro _(almost drops his phone)_ : AAAH!!

Mettaton: WELCOME, BEAUTIES, TO THE UNDERGROUND'S PREMIER COOKING SHOW!!!

_(a rectangular black sign with falling sparkles and the pink cursive words “Cooking with a Killer Robot” appears for a while before vanishing)_

Hiro: C-Cooking with a Killer Robot...?

Mettaton: PRE-HEAT YOUR OVENS, BECAUSE WE'VE GOT A VERY SPECIAL RECIPE FOR YOU TODAY! WE'RE GOING TO BE MAKING A CAKE!

Hiro: Ooh! Sounds fun! I hope...

Mettaton: MY LOVELY ASSISTANT HERE WILL GATHER THE INGREDIENTS. EVERYONE GIVE THEM A BIG HAND!!! _(claps as his screen flickers in blue and green and confetti rained on Hiro)_ WE'LL NEED SUGAR, MILK, AND EGGS. GO FOR IT, SWEETHEART!

Hiro: Uuh, okay.

  
  


Hiro managed to get the items and carefully carry them to the island. He was going to wash his hands, but Mettaton told him that hand washing show was on Wednesdays.

  
  


Mettaton: PERFECT! GREAT JOB, BEAUTIFUL! WE'VE GOT ALL OF THE INGREDIENTS WE NEED TO BAKE THE CAKE! MILK...SUGAR...EGGS.....OH MY! WAIT A MAGNIFICENT MOMENT! HOW COULD I FORGET!!! WE'RE MISSING THE MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENT!

Hiro: We are? What is it? _(watches Mettaton pull out a chainsaw)_ Uuh...

Mettaton _(revs the chainsaw)_ : A HUMAN SOUL!!!!

  
  


Hiro felt so paralyzed in fear, he couldn't move. As Mettaton drew closer, a ringtone rang out. It wasn't coming from Hiro's phone but somewhere on Mettaton's body.

  
  


Mettaon: HELLO...? I'M KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING HERE.

Alphys: W-Wait a second!!! Couldn't you make a...Couldn't you use a...Couldn't you make a substitution in the recipe?!

Mettaton: ...A SUBSTITUTION? YOU MEAN, USE A DIFFERENT, NON-HUMAN INGREDIENT? ...WHY?

Alphys: Uhh, what if someone's.......vegan?

Mettaton: ….VEGAN.

Alphys: Uh well I mean-

Mettaton: THAT'S A BRILLIANT IDEA, ALPHYS!!

Hiro: Thanks, Alphys!!

Mettaton: ACTUALLY, I HAPPEN TO HAVE AN OPTION RIGHT HERE!!! MTT-BRAND ALWAYS-CONVENIENT HUMAN-SOUL-FLAVOR-SUBSTITUTE! A CAN OF WHICH...IS JUST OVER ON THAT COUNTER!!! _(points to the single counter that has a red can on it)_ WELL, DARLING? WHY DON'T YOU GO GET IT?

Hiro: Okay... _(walks over to the counter; reaches for the can but sees the counter sink into the ground and shake)_ Wha? What's- _(reaches again but jumps back when the counter top shoots up, watches the counter grow taller and taller)_ WHAAAAT!!!?

Mettaton: BY THE WAY, OUR SHOW RUNS A STRICT SCHEDULE. IF YOU CAN'T GET THE CAN IN THE NEXT ONE MINUTE...WE'LL JUST HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL PLAN!!

Hiro: Oh no...

Mettaton: SO..BETTER START CLIMBING, BEAUTIFUL!!! _(flies up)_

Hiro: This is way bigger than Papyrus's sink! _(gets a call)_ Alphys, help!

Alphys: Oh no!!! There's not enough time to climb up!

Hiro: What should I do?

Alphys: ….F-F-Fortunately, I might have a plan! When I was upgrading your phone, I added a few...features. You see that huge button that says...”JETPACK”?

Hiro _(looks at his phone and find the button under the keypad)_ : Uh, yeah? _I thought that was the name of the phone..._ _(presses it)_

Alphys: Watch this!

  
  


_(a light poured out of the phone and a large yellow and red object floated out of it, floating onto Hiro's back)_

  
  


Hiro: Whoa, awesome!!

Alphys: There! You should have just enough fuel to reach the top! Now, get up there!!!

Hiro: Right! _(feels the jet pack lift him up)_ Whee! _(sees two rafters appear, the top is the goal marker and the bottom is a timer with a pepperoni pizza symbol; sees Mettaton)_ Uh oh...

  
  


Hiro had to dodge eggs, clouds of sugar, and waves of milk. He got hit a few times, but managed to reach the top with some seconds to spare.

  
  


Mettaton: MY, MY. IT SEEMS YOU'VE BESTED ME. BUT ONLY BECAUSE YOU HAD THE HELP OF THE BRILLIANT DOCTOR ALPHYS! OH, I LOATHE TO THINK OF WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU WITHOUT HER!!! WELL, TOODLES!! _(leaves then comes back)_ OH YES! ABOUT THE SUBSTITUTION...HAVEN'T YOU EVER SEEN A COOKING SHOW BEFORE? I ALREADY BAKED A CAKE AHEAD OF TIME!!!! SO FORGET IT!!! _(flies away)_

Hiro: Really? _(floats down to the ground and gets a call)_ Alphys?

Alphys: Wow! We..we did it! We...we really did it!!! Great job out there, team!

Hiro: Yeah!

Alphys: W-Well, uh, anyway, let's keep heading forward!!! _(hangs up)_

Hiro: Hmm, but using that jet pack was so cool! _(sees the counter reset to normal as the jet pack enters his phone)_ That can! I can finally- _(tries to pick it up but it's glued to the table)_ …..Gah. _(leaves the area and finds a Save Star and seeing an ominous structure in the distance; he gets a sense of determination from seeing it)_ I got a bad feeling about this... _(gets a call)_ Alphys?

Alphys: S-See that building over there?

Hiro: Yeah.

Alphys: That's the Core. The source of all power for the underground. It converts geothermal energy into magical electricity, by...uhh, anyway, that's where we're going to go. In the Core is an elevator directly to Asgore's castle, and from there...you can go home. _(hangs up)_

Hiro: Asgore's castle... _(glances at the building)_ I hope I can reach it... _(enters the next area and finds a silver elevator with red lights and “R1” above the doors)_ Oh. _(presses the button to open the doors and goes inside; sees the buttons “Left Floor 1” and “Right Floor 2”)_ Wait, Left? Not up or down?

  
  


Hiro tried the Left Floor 1 button, and arrived on the floor. He discovered that it took him back to before the laboratory and where the two Guards were blocking before. He went back to try the Right Floor 2 and spotted a small flame spirit across the way.

Flame Spirit: Heh, I'm Heats Flamesman. Remember my name!

Hiro: Okay.

  
  


Hiro went into the next area and spotted a Vulkin with a hot dog in the hole in its head, a floating bird wearing a pink dress and holding a hot dog in her talons, and Sans manning a stand that looks strikingly similar to his lookout posts. He noticed the snow on top of the roof and wondered if it was the same one and if it is, how he got it there or if it was built the same.

  
  


Hiro: Hi, Sans!

Sans: Hey buddy, what's up? Wanna buy a hot dog? It's only 30g.

Hiro: Yeah! _(gives him 30g)_

Sans: Thanks, kid. Here's your 'dog.

Hiro: Dog?

Sans: Yeah, 'dog. Apostrophe-dog. It's short for hot-dog.

Hiro: Oh. Oh! Did you find that room I wanted to show you?

Sans: The one back in Waterfall? Nah. I couldn't find that hallway either.

Hiro: Oh..

Sans: Hey, I'll keep looking. It does sound interesting.

Hiro: Okay.

  
  


Hiro said goodbye to Sans before entering the next area. He had gotten a few texts from Alphys _(her “dinner with the girlfriend” pic is just the catgirl figurine and a bowl of instant noodles)_ along the path he walked including few from a “CoolSkeleton95”. Hiro immediately thought of Papyrus and sure enough, Papyrus posted a picture of himself wearing sunglasses and flexing in front of a mirror. Hiro noticed he had giant muscular biceps pasted on his arms and also wearing sunglasses. Hiro had a good laugh as he watched the banter between the two. Along the way, he ran into Tsuderplane and Vulkin. Tsunderplane apparently attacked NOT because it's jealous of Vulkin's attention towards him. He was expecting a similar battle, but was taken off guard by a large smiling cloud launching lightning bolts everywhere as well as small planes with green auras passing by. When Hiro dealt with Tsunderplane, it retreated to the far corner away from the battle. Vulkin reassured him that Tsunderplane getting smaller is intentional. Once sparing Vulkin, Hiro continued on. He went to the southern path and found a pink item in the room. Before he could go, he got a friend request from a NAPSTABLOOK22.

Hiro: Oh! Napstablook! Yeah, I'll do it. _(presses Accept; gets a notification that it rejected itself)_ ….But I accepted... _(shoves the phone in his pocket and grabs the apron; it's pink with a red heart and odd stains on it)_ Could used this in Mettaton's cooking show. I hope those stains are ketchup... _(puts it on then leaves the area and goes to the next one, seeing a pair of conveyor belts and three steel pillars with a switch on each of them; gets a call)_ Hello?

Alphys: H...Hi...! It's Dr Alphys! This p-puzzle is kinda...um...timing-based. Y-You see those switches over there?

Hiro: Yeah?

Alphys: Y-You'll have to press all three of them within 3 seconds.

Hiro: 3 seconds? Why 3 seconds?

Alphys: I'll t-try to help you with the rhythm!

Hiro: Okay. _(hangs up)_ Okay... _(hits the first two then misses the third when startled by the phone)_ Aaah! _(answers the phone)_

Alphys: OK! Now press the third one!!!

Hiro: I can't! I missed it when you called!!

Alphys: ….......H-H-Hey! Looks like you!!! Only needed to press! Two of them!!!

Hiro: Wah... Al- _(gets hung up on)_ -phys...

  
  


After the laser barrier was lifted, Hiro went to the area where he faced a large area of launch pads and platforms. He didn't have to absorb the design of the area before getting an update from Alphys:

  
  


  * that's the last time I help with a puzzle lmao




  
  


He soon got a call from her, telling him she'll be MIA while in the bathroom and being sure he could solve the puzzle himself, before hanging up. Hiro stared at the area with doubt before deciding to take a shot. And a shot he severely missed. It felt like it's been a half hour since he started. He kept missing up the directions, accidentally launching himself onto the conveyor belt at the bottom, getting led to the ledge on the top, and getting so close to solving it, but messing it up in the end. Just when he thought he couldn't figure it out, he decided to test the platforms. With what he figured out from those times he got close, he was able to get through the puzzle.

  
  


Hiro: FINALLY!! I can keep going. Let's go!

  
  


Hiro went into the next area where a Save Star, a safe on a table, and a mouse hole. If a mouse hole is here, then the cheese would be in the safe. Like the one before, if the mouse will be able to break into the safe to get the cheese, then Hiro can break free of the underground. As he continued through a rafter-filled area, he was subjected to a text rant from Alphys about how terrible Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 2 is. Hiro didn't know what that was, but it was interesting to him how into it she was, or mostly how much she hated it. He was reading the text until a familiar tinny male voice called out to him from behind.

  
  


???: Hey! You! Stop!

Hiro _(startled)_ : Y-Yeah?! _(sees the two Royal Guards that blocked the L1 elevator)_ Uh oh...

Rabbit Guard: We've, like, received an anonymous tip about a human wearing a striped shirt. They told us they were wandering around Hotland right now... I know, sounds scary, huh?

Hiro _(nervous)_ : Oh. Y-Yeah, really scary.

RG: Well, just stay chill. We'll bring you someplace safe, OK?

Hiro: Okay. _(follows the guards; sees the dragon guard stop and stare (?) at him)_ Uh...

RG: ...Huh? What is it, bro? _(glances at Hiro)_ The shirt they're wearing? ...Like, what about it?

Hiro _(watches both of them turn to him)_ : Uh oh.

RG: Bro... Are you thinkin? What I'm thinkin?

Hiro: _I hope not..._

RG: Bummer. This is, like... Mega embarrassing. We, like, actually totally have to kill you and stuff.

  
  


Hiro was internally screeching as the area went gray-scale, leaving him facing off against the two guards who are wielding a sword. Hiro checked on Royal Guard 1 _(RG1)_ and saw the options Clean Armor and Whisper. He saw that the rabbit guard has shiny armor but his comrade didn't. He didn't have time to think as the battlefield narrowed and strange carrotlike items shot at him from both ends. Afterwards, Hiro saw RG1 polishing his face. He tried to polish RG1's armor, but found it slippery. RG1 didn't like that and RG2 _(the dragon Guard)_ sighed heavily. Hiro noticed that the dragon guard was sweating and figured like Undyne, he probably can't handle the heat. Diamond sparkles suddenly shot at him, and he flew around dodging them. Hiro checked on RG2 and noticed his armor looked dirty, so he helped the guard clean his armor, not realizing that he's removing the dirt that kept the guard cool. Suddenly, a giant green shield appeared on the field and Hiro went to it, thinking it can help heal him despite the flying pan and apron he donned.

Hiro: Eh? Why's it turning colors?

RG2: Can't....take it.. armor...too....HOT!! _(removes his chestplate)_ ..much better...

RG1 _(sweating)_ : ….

Hiro: He's sweating, too? But I can't touch his armor. _(glances at both of them)_ Maybe I should try Whisper on the rabbit guy? _(floats to RG1)_ Hey, you should talk to him.

RG1: I...I...

  
  


_(Hiro floats away from them, but notices some of the carrot items were flying all over the place)_

  
  


Hiro: That was weird.

RG1: D-Dude... I can't... I can't take this anymore! Not like this!!

Hiro: Huh?

RG1: Like. 02! I like... I like, LIKE you, bro! The way you fight...The way you talk... I love doing team attacks with you. I love standing here with you, bouncing and waving out weapons in sync...02... I, like, want to stay like this forever...

RG2: …..

Hiro: …..

RG1 _(sweating)_ : Uh...I mean, uh...Psyche! Gotcha, bro!!! Haha!

RG2: ...01.

RG1: Y-yeah, bro??

RG2: ….Do you want to....get some ice cream...with me...after this?

RG1: Sure, dude! Haha!

Hiro _(watches the guards look at each other happily)_ : I don't know what happened but yay? _(gives a few little claps)_

  
  


Once Hiro chose Spare _(after having a split-second vision of one of the guards getting killed by “him” and shaking it off)_ and ended the battle, RG1 and RG2 left the area happily, leaving Hiro to continue on. Not without getting a text from Alphys.

  
  


  * oopswait how's the humnan doing

  * Top 10 Shows That Make You Forget To Do Your Frickin Job




  
  


Once that cleared up, Hiro went into the next area. Again, it was pitch black and again Alphys calls to help out.

  
  


Alphys: Okay, I'm back! A-Another dark room, huh?

Hiro: Yep.

Alphys: Don't worry! M-My hacking skills have got things covered!

  
  


_(the lights cut on)_

  
  


Alphys: Are you serious?

  
  


Back in Snowdin, Papyrus was cooking spaghetti while Sans was reading a book and writing in his notebook. Papyrus had the TV on as background noise while cooking when what looks like breaking news came on. The backdrop is a cityscape at night with the video screen bordered in a thick beige square with some dark brown line on the bottom getting thicker towards the bottom. Donning a neat red suit with a yellow tie is Mettaton, sitting at a brown desk as the marquee of yellow words scrolled across the black bar at the bottom of the screen.

  
  


Sans _(exasperated)_ : Oh no...

Mettaton: OHHHHHH YESSSS!!! GOOD EVENING, BEAUTIES AND GENTLEBEAUTIES! THIS IS METTATON, REPORTING LIVE FROM MTT NEWS!

Hiro _(shock)_ : EH!?

Mettaton: AN INTERESTING SITUATION HAS ARISEN IN EASTERN HOTLAND! FORTUNATELY, OUR CORRESPONDENT IS OUT THERE, REPORTING LIVE!

Hiro: What is th- Wait... _(points at himself)_ ...Me?

Mettaton: BRAVE CORRESPONDENT! PLEASE FIND SOMETHING NEWSWORTHY TO REPORT! OUR TEN WONDERFUL VIEWERS ARE WAITING FOR YOU!!

Hiro: Uuh...okay. _(wanders around; finds a basketball)_ Hey! It's a basketball!

Mettaton: BASKETBALL'S A BLAST, ISN'T IT, DARLING? TOO BAD YOU CAN'T PLAY WITH THE BALLS. THEY'RE MTT-BRAND FASHOIN BASKETBALLS. FOR WEARING, NOT PLAYING. YOU CAN'T GET RICH AND FAMOUS LIKE MOI WITHOUT BEAUTIFYING A FEW ORBS.

Hiro: Oh, that was what Papyrus was wearing before. I'm gonna look for more stuff. _(wanders more; find that dog he saw before)_ Hey, it's you again!

Mettaton: WHAT A SENSANTIONAL OPPORTUNITY FOR A STORY! I CAN SEE THE HEADLINE NOW: “A DOG EXISTS SOMEWHERE.” FRANKLY, I'M BLOWN AWAY!

Hiro _(pets the dog then wanders; finds a gift)_ : It's a present!

Mettaton: OH MY! IT'S A PRESENT! AND IT'S ADDRESSED TO YOU, DARLING! AREN'T YOU JUST BURSTING WITH EXCITEMENT? WHAT COULD BE INSIDE? WELL, NO TIME LIKE THE “PRESENT” TO FIND OUT!

Hiro: Huh? It's not my birthday, but okay! _(wanders then finds a game with white letters and an odd white symbol on the cover)_ Is this a game?

Mettaton: OOH LA LA! THIS VIDEO GAME YOU FOUND...IS DYNAMITE!!! THOUGH I DON'T MAKE AN APPEARANCE IN IT UNTIL THREE-FOURTHS IN. BUT I LIKE THAT.

Hiro: Really?!

Mettaton: APPEARING FROM THE HEAVENS LIKE MANNA, SLAKING THE AUDIENCE'S HUNGER FOR GORGEOUS ROBOTS...

Hiro: What-

Mettaton: OOH! THAT'S METTATON!

Hiro: Uh...okay... _(wanders around some more and finds a thick book with what looks like Mettaton on the cover)_ What's this book?

Mettaton: OH NO!!! THAT MOVIE SCRIPT!!! HOW'D??? THAT GET THERE???

Hiro: Someone dropped it here?

METTATON: IT'S A SUPER-JUICY SNEAK PREVIEW OF MY LATEST GUARANTEED-NOT-TO-BOMB FILM: METTATON THE MOVIE XXVIII...STARRING METTATON!

Hiro: Is that the title-

Mettaton: I'VE HEARD THAT LIKE THE FILMS, IT'S CONSISTS MOSTLY OF A SINGLE FOUR-HOUR SHOT OF ROSE PETALS SHOWERING ON MY RECLINING BODY. OOH!!! BUT THAT'S!!! NOT CONFIRMED!!

Hiro: That sounds-

Mettaton: YOU WOULDN'T _(coughs aggressively)_ SPOIL MY MOVIE FOR EVERYONE WITH A PROMOTIONAL STORY, WOULD YOU?

Hiro: N-No...

Mettaton: PHEW!!! THAT WAS CLOSE!! YOU ALMOST GAVE ME A BUNCH OF FREE ADVERTISEMENT!!

Hiro _(walks away from the book and finds a glass of water)_ : What's this water doing here?

Mettaton: OH MY!!! ...IT'S A COMPLETELY NONDESCRIPT GLASS OF WATER. BUT ANYTHING CAN MAKE A GREAT STORY WITH ENOUGH SPIN! I'M HONORED TO BE IN THE PRESENCE OF SUCH A HUGE LUKEWARM WATER FAN, FOLKS!

Hiro: Um, I think I'm gonna report on the dog. I think it'll be a good story. _(goes to the dog)_ I'm gonna report on the dog!

Mettaton: ATTENTION, VIEWERS! OUR CORRESPONDENT HAS FOUND...A DOG!

_(sounds of an audience awwing occur)_

Hiro: It is cute. _(plays with the dog, but notices something odd with its tail)_ Eh?

Mettaton: THAT'S RIGHT, FOLKS! IT'S THE FEEL-GOOD STORY OF THE YEAR! LOOK AT ITS LITTLE EARS, TINY PAWS, FLUFFY TAIL.....WAIT A SECOND...THAT'S NOT A TAIL! THAT'S..A FUSE!

Hiro _(sees the tip of the “tail” light on fire)_ : Why is it on fire..?

Mettaton: THAT'S RIGHT... THAT DOG..IS A BOMB!

Hiro _(jumps back)_ : Aah!?

Mettaton: BUT DON'T PANIC! YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE REST OF THE ROOM YET!!!

The entire “studio” set went crashing down as Mettaton floated towards a set of coiling pipes that connect to the area Hiro was walking while looking at the items to report. The present has a bomb sphere in it, the movie script has the same kind of bomb in the middle of it, the game has several sticks of dynamite in it, and the basketball was actually a bomb made to look like it. Even the water was flashing strange colors...

Hiro: Uh oh...

Mettaton: OH MY! IT SEEMS EVERYTHING IN THIS AREA IS ACTUALLY A BOMB! THAT DOG'S A BOMB! THAT BASKETBALL'S A BOMB! EVEN MY WORDS ARE...!

Hiro _(sees Mettaton's words fall off the text box and explode on the ground)_ : Aaah! How did that-

Mettaton: BRAVE CORRESPONDENT...IF YOU DON'T DEFUSE ALL OF THE BOMBS.. _(floats to a second area where a large pink bomb is sitting in front of a silver pillar)_ THIS BIG BOMB WILL BLOW YOU TO SMITHEREENS IN TWO MINUTES! THEN YOU WON'T BE REPORTING “LIVE” ANY LONGER! HOW TERRIBLE! HOW DISTURBING! OUR NINE VIEWERS ARE GOING TO LOVE WATCHING THIS! GOOD LUCK, DARLING!!

Hiro: Wasn't it ten before...? _(answers a call)_ Alphys, HELP!!

Alphys: D-Don't worry! I installed a bomb-defusing program on your phone! Use the 'defuse' option when the bomb is in the DEFUSE ZONE! N-Now, go get 'em!

Hiro found an app called Debomb! and opened it, seeing a rectangle with the word DEFUSE and an arrow pointing down at it, all in green. He also saw the orange panels he often sees when in battles. He went up to the dog which was sleeping and held his phone up to scan it. The image of the dog was moving a lot on the screen, so Hiro chose Act and the Defuse Bomb option was available. He waited until the dog was in the zone before he hit the option, watching the dog wake up and seeing a confirmation.

Hiro: Got it!

Alphys: Great job! Keep heading around the room! Try to go for the one in the bottom-left next!

Hiro: Okay! _(goes to the bottom-left and sees three lasers, two orange, one blue. Hiro managed to get through and finds the video game)_ Okay... _(catches in the zone and defuses it)_ All right! Next! _(finds the script sliding on the conveyor belt and catches it; defuses it) Got it! (find a launch platform and uses it, finding a present) There's one! (carefully catches it in the zone and defuses it)_ Almost missed it! _(use the second platform and lands where the basketball bomb is bouncing around, scans it and misses it as it leaves the zone but get it the second time)_ That was close...

Alphys: Great job! Head for the center! I'm using, uh, EM fields to trap the glass of water there!

Hiro: Okay! _(rushes to the center area and finds the water, scanning it)_ Okay... _(misses once, but gets it the second time)_ Way too close!!

Mettaton _(floats towards Hiro)_ : WELL DONE, DARLING! YOU 'VE DEACTIVATED ALL OF THE BOMBS! IF YOU DIDN'T DEACTIVATE THEM, THE BIG BOMB WOULD HAVE EXPLODED IN TWO MINUTES. NOW IT WON'T EXPLODE IN TWO MINUTES! _(screen flashes red)_ INSTEAD IT'LL EXPLODED IN TWO SECONDS! GOODBYE, DARLING!

Hiro _(panicking)_ : No!!

…...

_(nothing happens)_

Mettaton: AH. IT SEEMS THE BOMB ISN'T GOING OFF.

Hiro _(answer a call)_ : Alphys!

Alphys: That's b-because!!! While you were monologuing... I..! I f..fix...um..I ch-change..

Mettaton: OH NO. YOU DEACTIVATED THE BOMB WITH YOUR HACKING SKILLS.

Alphys: Yeah! That's what I did!

Mettaton: CURSES! IT SEEMS I'VE BEEN FOILED AGAIN! CURSE YOU, HUMAN! CURSE YOU, DR. ALPHYS, FOR HELPING SO MUCH! BUT I DON'T CURSE MY EIGHT WONDERFUL VIEWERS FOR TUNING IN!!!

Hiro: Wasn't it nine-

Mettaton: UNTIL NEXT TIME, DARLING! _(flies away)_

Alphys: W-Wow...W-We showed him, huh?

Hiro: Yep!

Alphys: ...H-Hey, I know I was kind of weird at first, but I really think I'm getting more...uh, more...m-more confident about guiding you! S-so don't worry about that b-big d-dumb robot... I-I'll protect you from him!

Hiro: Thanks, Alphys.

Alphys: Ehheheh...A-And if it really c-came down to it, we could just t-turn... _(trails off)_

Hiro: Huh?

Alphys: Um, nevermind. Later! _(hangs up)_

Hiro: ….

Hiro was a bit curious about what Alphys was about to say, but left it alone as he made his way towards a long path go north. He entered the next area and saw that the building of the Core is getting closer. He had realized that since he's getting closer to the area, the more worried he was getting in meeting Asgore. He's heard so many different versions of how Asgore's like, and he's not sure which one is right. As he was lost in his thoughts, a phone call jolted him out of them.

Hiro: Y-Yeah?

Alphys: Um...I noticed you've been kind of quiet... Are you w-worried about meeting Asgore...?

Hiro: How did she... Uuh...yeah...It's bothering me...

Alphys: ..W-Well, don't worry, okay? Th-The king is a really nice guy...

Hiro: Are you sure...?

Alphys: Yeah. I'm sure you can talk to him, and...w-with your human soul, you can pass through the barrier! S-So no worrying, OK? J-Just forget about it and smile.

Hiro: Okay... _(hangs up)_

Sighing, Hiro stood in his spot and stared at the distant building. He could feel a little bit of his determination waning, but if he's to leave this place, he'll need every bit of determination he can muster. He forced himself to move to the next area where another elevator is and enter it. He's already been to the other areas, so Left Floor 3 is the only option left. As he chooses the option and feels the elevator move, Hiro felt a slight feeling of dread growing in him.

~~TO BE CONTINUED~~


	6. LINE 6: SPIDERS IN THE BELFRY

~~LINE 6: SPIDERS IN THE BELFRY~~

Hiro stepped out of the elevator, finding himself on a long pathway. Up ahead, he spotted two monsters, a six-armed lavender one with short black hair and two short ponytails, five dark purple eyes, and wearing a shortsleeved jumper with a maroon top and a dark pink bottom and black boots behind a long table covered with a pink-and-white checker tablecloth and the green cat monster wearing a longsleeved top, blue shorts, and kneehigh yellow boots reclining on the floor. On the table is a croissant and a purple glazed donut. By the voice of the lavender monster, Hiro figured this was a girl. He also noticed spider webs everywhere and the girl's physique is reminding him of a spider as well...

Spider Girl: Welcome to our parlor, dearie~. Interested in some spider pastries? All proceeds go to real spiders~.

Hiro: Spider pastries. Oh, so she had the ones in the Ruins, too? _(checks out the spider donut; notices it looks more rubbery than usual)_ Huh, it's not real? _(looks at the croissant; it reminds him of a power bracelet from a game he saw someone play before)_ I want one... _(walks up to the cat monster)_

Cat Monster _(hesitant)_ : I...I...I ended up buying donut...

Hiro: You did?

CM: Yeah.. I...I...I didn't want to, but that girl... even though I told her no, she...kept staring at me in this creepy way and licking her lips. N....Now I'm outta cash...

Hiro _(glances back at the girl and catches her staring at them)_ : Eeep..

Hiro continued past the area and found himself in a room with more of the steam arrow platforms.

Hiro: Not this again... _(hears his phone ring and answers it)_ Hello?

Alphys: Hi, Alphys here!

Hiro: Hi. It's that dumb arrow room again...

Alphys: Yeah, this room's like the room we saw before. There are two puzzles to the north and the south. You'll have to solve them both to proceed!

Hiro: Okay.

Alphys: ...A-Also... I'd like to say! I don't really...like giving away puzzle solutions.

Hiro: Aww, not even a little one?

Alphys: Nope! But if you need help, just call me, ok? Actually, wait, I have an idea!

Hiro: What?

Alphys: Let's be friends on UnderNet! Then you can ping me when you need help!

Hiro: Okay, but I thought we're already friends on there.

Alphys: ...Huh? …..Wait, we're friends already? ...I signed you up, didn't I?

Hiro: Yeah, you signed me up when you fixed my phone.

Alphys: Ah... _(nervous)_ You've been reading my posts the whole time...

Hiro: Oh, the things popping up when you said something? Yeah, I saw them.

Alphys: …..Well! I hope! You agree with me! About Mew Mew 2!

Hiro: I've never- _(gets hung up on)_ -seen it... Ack.

Hiro pocketed his phone and proceeded to solve the puzzle ahead. He found this arrow area to be a lot easier than the one before and he headed south first. The laser-conveyor belt area was not so fun, though. Moving through three blue lasers on the belt and thrown into three soul-rending quick laser actions left him at 5 hp as he tried to stop and move when needed. Once he made it, he heard his phone ring and answered it angrily.

Hiro: AAAALLPHYSS.

Alphys: Hey! Ah, s-something up?

Hiro: I hate lasers.

Alphys: O-Oh... This, um, doesn't have anything to do with guiding you...but...... _(silent)_ ...would you like to watch a human TV show together??? Sometime??

Hiro: Huh? Yeah? What's it called?

Alphys: It's called, um, M...Mew Mew Kissy Cutie...

Hiro: _That show she likes...._ Sure!

Alphys: R-Really!? It's so good! It's um, my favorite show! It's about- _(goes on a tangent about the show and almost spoils stuff)_ Uhh, I think you'd really like it!!! We should watch it! After you get through all this!

Hiro: Um...Okay. _(hangs up)_ I don't think I caught that. But it sounds neat. _(heads inside the room; sees it's the block shot room)_ Oh, it's that room that you gotta move the blocks and stuff. _(reads the note)_ …..Just one shot..? Hmm..

It took him a short while, but he figured it out and took the shot.

Hiro: Yes! _(leaves the room)_ Now for the other room. _(goes on the conveyor belt and notices a cactus; manages to stop and smell a flower on it being moved away)_ Nice.

Hiro returned to steam-hopping in the area and headed north. He arrived in a plus-shaped area where nothing seemed strange and entered the room, seeing the block shot puzzle again.

Hiro: Here we go! _(shifts the boxes and clears the area on the first try; shoots the ship)_ I'm getting good at this! _(leaves the room and sees a pair of diamond-head monsters, one pink with a red backward cap, sleeveless striped shirt, blue jeans and black shoes, and one yellow wearing a V-neck longsleeved shirt, blue shorts and black boots; overhears them discussing Mettaton)_

Pink Diamond-head: My fave Mettaton Moment _(TM)_? Right when everything looks the baddest, he poses dramatically. Like when he's on a cooking show and the eggs don't turn out right. But then he says! Even if you suck at cooking, you can always buy an MTT-brand Glamburger! Then he eats one! Everyone loves it!

Hiro: How? He doesn't have a mouth.

PD: ….How does he eat it without a mouth? Uhh, well... Watch the show!

Hiro: Ah. _(walks over to the other monster)_

Yellow Diamond-head: My fave Mettaton Moment _(TM)_ is when he beats up the heel-turning villains! Even when it's during what's supposed to be a quiz show. Oh! And I like when he tries all kinds of different fashionable outfits! Even if it's during what's supposed to be a newscast.

After listening to the two monsters, he continued onward. He messed up the direction at first, but he managed to make to the eastern part of the area and walked up the long path. He faced a large pair of glowing double-doors with green lights flashing. They slowly opened to allow him passage and he moved on. Once through, he caught the scent of old cobwebs, which then brought his attention to the threads of spider webs that decorate the area as he saved his progress.

Hiro: Uh oh... _(reads the location name on the screen)_ “Spider Entrance”? That's not good...

The area soon turned purple as he continued on towards the archway ahead. Once through, he was greeted with a dark area covered in cobwebs and spider threads. He could hear the skittering and faint twang of thread being stepped on and the titter and chatter of the resident beings nearby as he maneuvers past the webs on the ground.

???: Ahuhuhuhuhu.... Did you hear what they just said? They said a human wearing a striped shirt will come through.

Hiro: …..

???: I heard they hate spiders...

Hiro: Not...really...

???: I heard they love to stomp on them.

Hiro: I don't get close to- _(feels his movement slow down)_ Eh?

???: I heard that they like to tear their legs off.

Hiro: Gah, why am I slow..? _(looks down at himself)_

???: I heard...

Hiro _(sees himself waist deep in spider silk)_ : Ah? What is this!? _(struggles to pull himself out while getting his arms stuck)_ Geh, can't...pull it off! _(faces forward; sees the girl from the parlor standing on a large spiderweb with a few purple spiders hanging around her; spots some spiders blocking his way out)_ Uuh...

Girl: ...That they're awfully stingy with their money.

Hiro: Eeh!? You!?

Girl: Ahuhuhuhuhu.... You think your taste is too refined for my pastries, don't you, deary? Ahuhuhu... I disagree to that notion. I think your taste..is exactly what this next batch needs!

Hiro: I don't think I taste that good!

With a giggle, the area fell into grayscale as Muffet, Hiro finds out, faces him. With a pair of teacups in her top two hands and a pair of teapots in her middle hands, she managed to trap Hiro. His options were to pay her 10g or Struggle, so he struggled to break free. Muffet giggled at his futile effort to escape.

Hiro: Ngh, gotta....

Muffet: Don't look so blue, my deary~ _(pours purple liquid into the area)_ ...I think purple is a better look for you! Ahuhuhu~

Hiro: Agh! _(covers his mouth as the liquid filled the box and dissolve most of the webs on him besides the ones tied to his soul, hands, and feet; reemerges with his soul being purple and attached to string as the liquid evaporated)_ Agh, wait... _(notices a spider holding a sign showing “Up next” and a spider on it)_ What...is that?

Muffet: Why so pale? You should be proud~.

As Hiro asked about what he should be proud of, he climbed the web up and down to avoid the spiders. He then sees the sign again as Muffet tidies the web around him. When the option to pay 40g showed up, he chooses it, watching the coins land on the web.

Muffet: Proud that you're going to make a delicious cake~. Ahuhuhuhuhu~

Hiro: I think I'd make a bad cake...

Hiro dodged more spiders, but gets hit once. The little spider shows a sign with double spiders as Muffet does a synchronized dance with the other spiders. Hiro noticed the pay option was at 80g, and then struggles. Muffet saw this then laughs and claps her hands.

Hiro: Let me....go!

Muffet _(giggles)_ : Let you go? Don't be silly~

Hiro saw the incoming spiders and dodges them. He saw some that are on two lines and gets hit by one of them, seeing a sign with a spider and a circle that could be a donut as the spiders dance and clap to the cheerful music playing. He saw that his health was getting low, so he went to his Item menu for something to eat. To his surprise, Hiro soon realized he forgot to get more out of his dimensional boxes. He only has a pack of Astronaut Food and a can of Sea Tea. Thinking it would help him move faster, he drinks the Sea Tea to heal. He hoped his SPEED would increase, but realized he was restricted by web.

Muffet: Your SOUL is going to make every spider very happy~~~

Hiro: …. _(dodges the spiders; gets hit but manages to dodge three donuts that bounced at him; sees a sign with a muffin and pays 80g)_ Is she gonna throw muffins at me?

Muffet: Oh, how rude of me! I forgot to introduce you to my pet~ It's breakfast time isn't it? Have fun you two~

Hiro tries to dodge the spiders as they rushed by. He expected muffins to be flying at him. What he didn't expect was a giant spider-legged muffin monster.

Hiro: AAAH!! _(frantically climbs the web while trying to dodge spiders)_ That was close... _(sees the spider donut sign)_ Gaah. _(catches the scent of freshly baked cobwebs)_ That smells.... _(eats the astrofood to heal)_ Nothing left...

Muffet: The person who warned us about you...

Hiro: About me? _(dodges the spiders and donuts, gets hit; checks the Pay option and sees it at 150g; currently has 156g) I only have that much left.. (struggles)_ I don't wanna!!

Muffet _(is amused by Hiro's antics, she gave him a discount)_ : …..Offered us a lot of money for your SOUL.

Hiro: _Someone wanted to buy my SOUL? (dodges spiders, but gets hit; sees the Pay option is at 75g, pays it)_ I still got enough...

Muffet: They had such a sweet smile~ And.... ahuhu~

Hiro tried to dodge the spiders and donuts coming at, but he dies in the process when a spider hit his soul. He returned to the save star and decided to be more prepared with more items from his phone, including the items he ate. When he checked his phone, he noticed his 268g was back to normal.

Hiro: Huh? My money's back. _(goes back into the area)_ I wonder who the person who told Muffet about me is. _Who wants to get my soul? ….It couldn't be- (gets stuck in the web again)_ Aww, no...

Muffet: I heard...a certain stingy human hates spiders.

Hiro had a tough time going through the battle against Muffet and her spiders friends. Dodging spiders and donuts, climbing in a panic from Muffet's pet. He had some hits dealt to him, but he managed to get through to where Muffet mentioned about the person who offered her money for his soul. The only person he knew who would have wanted to get his soul for a reason was Asgore. At one point, Muffet pours Hiro a cup of spiders. He kindly refuses and continues dodging until he dies again.

Hiro _(grabbing his head)_ : Ack, why did I run into that spider!?

Hiro returned to the spider webbed area and tries again. He sees the spider donut sign again, dodges the spiders while getting a hit on him and sees something flying at him. He managed to dodge it, but sees it coming back and dodges it again, noticing it was a random croissant that flew and out like a boomerang.

Hiro: Was that a croissant thing? _(sees the spider's sign showing the croissant)_ There's more...?

Muffet: It's strange, but I swore I saw them in the shadows... Changing shape..?

Hiro: Changing shape? Does Asgore do that? _(dodges the croissants and gets hit by one; sees the muffin monster on the sign) Oh no, not that muffin thing..._

Muffet: Oh, it's lunch time, isn't it? And I forgot to feed my pet~

Hiro: You forgot?!

Again, Hiro tries to dodge spiders and donuts and struggles to climb the web to escape the muffin monster, and again, he dies. He soon began to feel tired and that familiar voice crept into his mind in the darkness.

???: _**Come on...just kill her already. You're only wasting your time. It'll be easier to take that pan and-**_

Hiro _(shakes his head)_ : NO! _(finds himself before the star; stares at it for a while)_ …..

Hiro pushed himself through the battle again. He had to prove that he can get through it without resorting to violence. As Hiro tried to figure out why the spider girl would want to get the money for his soul, it was made apparent when Muffet mentioned the reason for her acceptance of the exchange.

Muffet: With that money, the spider clans can finally be reunited~

Hiro: Reunited? _(dodges spiders and gets hit)_

Muffet: You haven't heard? Spiders have been trapped in the Ruins for generations!

Hiro _(tries to dodge donuts)_ : Oh, those spiders! Hey, can't they just go under the door?

Muffet _(shakes her head)_ : Even if they go under the door, Snowdin's fatal cold is impassable alone.

Hiro _(dodges the croissants, but gets hit)_ : Ouch! Oh yeah, it was really cold there...

Muffet: But with the money from your SOUL, we'll be able to rent them a heated limo~

Hiro: I want a heated limo... Whatever a limo is.

Hiro was struggling with this battle as he used up his items and got his soul shattered. He didn't have much of a way to make it end quicker, but he was determined to get past the spider girl. He decided to switch up his armor from glasses to apron and try again. He finally managed to reach the point where all three symbols _(spider, donut, croissant)_ were on the sign the little spider was holding.

Hiro: Yes, I gotta be close!!

Muffet: And with all of the leftovers...? We could have a nice vacation~ Or even build a spider baseball field~

Hiro: That sounds fun! _(dodges the spiders, donuts, and croissants; gets hit by a spider)_ Ack!

Muffet: But enough of that... It's time for dinner, isn't it? Ahuhuhu~

Hiro: Not again!

More spiders rushed out across the web, overwhelming him as he tries to climb faster from the muffin monster but dies in the progress again.

Hiro: So cloooose!!

He felt like getting close to the end and pushed himself through the battle as he tries again. He soon faced off against the spider and muffin monster onslaught and manages to survive it.

Hiro: Gaaah!! Finally!!

Muffet _(amused)_ : You're still alive? Ahuhuhu~ Oh my pet, it's time for dessert~

Hiro: N-No... _(notices a little spider crawl up to Muffet with a paper)_ No sign..?

Muffet: Huh? A telegram from the spiders in the ruins? _(takes and reads it)_ What? They're saying that they saw you and...you helped donated to their cause!

Hiro: Yeah! I bought a donut from them!

Muffet: Oh my, this has all been a big misunderstanding~ I thought you were someone who hated spiders.

Hiro: I mean, not really.

Muffet: The person who asked for that soul... They must have meant a DIFFERENT human in a striped shirt~

Hiro: There's another person here? _(sees a flicker of the other kid)_

Muffet: Sorry for all the trouble. Ahuhuhu~ I'll make it up to you~ You can come back here any time... And, for no charge at all...

Hiro: Thanks!

Muffet: I'll wrap you up and let you play with my pet again!

Hiro: Uh, t-thanks... _NO THANK YOU!!_

Muffet: Ahuhuhuhuhuhu~ Just kidding~ I'll spare you now~

After what felt like hours of a grueling dodge fest and a flickering scene of her getting killed, Hiro and Muffet finally spared each other. All but one spider left the area as Muffet spoke to Hiro while removing the webs off of him with ease.

Muffet: Ahuhuhuhu.... That was fun! See you again, dearie!

With a giggle and ascension of the last spider, Muffet retreated back into the darkness. Hiro made a mad dash back to the save star and saved his progress.

Hiro: Never...never again....

Once done, Hiro dashed his way out of the cobwebbed area, but not without Muffet being present in the room and him being told to be on his best behavior when visiting her parlor. When he exited the area, he found himself in another purple area where the wall is made of brick and he found a poster that looked like the one in Alphys's lab. It was a new stage play by Mettaton about a tragic tale of two star-crossed lovers, kept apart by the tides of fate.

Hiro: I remember doing something like that at school. I was a mouse in the Nutcracker play before Christmas. Oh, it's almost time for the performance! I think? I should find a seat! _(walks out onto the stage)_

The background has silhouettes of lit houses and the stage building was a castle with stairs and vines. A full moon and three stars are hanging by more silhouetted houses. As Hiro spotted the seats below him and made his way to find the stairs to them, a familiar robotic voice is heard above him.

???: OH? THAT HUMAN...

Hiro _(looks up to see Mettaton peeking out the square window by the balcony area)_ : Oh no...

Mettaton: COULD IT BE? _(comes out in a blue dress, dressed somewhat like Cinderella)_ MY ONE TRUE LOVE?

Hiro: I...what- _(hears music playing starting with a harp)_ Uh....

Mettaton descended down the stairs while holding his dress to avoid tripping. He soon began to sing once his screen turned red.

Mettaton _(sings off cue)_ :

Oh my love~

Please run away~

Monster King~

Forbids your stay~

Humans must~

Live far apart~

Even if~

It breaks my heart~

They'll put you~

Hiro _(sees rose petals falling around them)_ : Eh?

Mettaton:

In the dungeon~

It'll suck~

And then you'll die a lot~

Hiro: I-

Mettaton:

Really sad~

You're gonna die~

Cry cry cry~

 _(puts his hand on Hiro's head)_ So sad it's happening~.

_(shooting star falls in the background)_

Hiro _(claps nervously)_ : Errm, that was...nice?

Mettaton: THANK YOU, BUT IT'S SO SAD. SO SAD THAT YOU ARE GOING TO THE DUNGEON.

Hiro: Wait, me!?

Mettaton _(has a control button)_ : WELL, TOODLES! _(presses it)_

Hiro _(drops when a trap door opens under him)_ : AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaagh!!! _(lands in a room; sees Mettaton hovering nearby)_ Ooww...

Mettaton: OH NO, WHATEVER SHALL I DO? MY LOVE HAS BEEN CAST AWAY INTO THE DUNGEON. A DUNGEON WITH A PUZZLE SO DASTARDLY, MY PARAMOUR WILL SURELY PERISH!

Hiro: What's a paramo-uhhhh.... That's...

Mettaton: O, HEAVENS HAVE MERCY! THE HORRIBLE COLORED TILE MAZE!

Hiro: That's that maze Papyrus had....

Mettaton: EACH COLORED TILE HAS IT OWN SADISTIC FUNCTION. FOR EXAMPLE, A GREEN TILE SOUNDS A NOISE, AND THEN YOU MUST FIGHT A MONSTER. RED TILES WILL... ACTUALLY WAIT A SECOND. DIDN'T WE SEE THIS PUZZLE ABOUT A HUNDRED ROOMS AGO?

Hiro _(nervous)_ : Um........no..?

Mettaton: THAT'S RIGHT. YOU REMEMBER ALL THE RULES, DON'T YOU?

Hiro: Uh-

Mettaton: GREAT. THEN I WON'T WASTE YOUR TIME REPEATING THEM!

Hiro: Ah...

Mettaton: OH, AND YOU BETTER HURRY. BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T GET THROUGH IN 30 SECONDS...

Hiro _(feels something warm behind him getting hotter)_ : Why does it feel hot- _(sees a wall of fire behind him)_

Mettaton: YOU'LL BE INCINERATED BY THESE JETS OF FIRE!

Hiro: Aaah!!

Mettaton: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! AHAHA... HA..HA! MY POOR LOVE! I'M SO FILLED WITH GRIEF, I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING! GOOD LUCK, DARLING!

Hiro had sort of remembered the rules, but that didn't keep him from running into electric tiles, red tiles, and piranha tiles in a panic, and in doing so, he didn't make it in time.

Mettaton: OOOOH, I'M SO SORRY! LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE OUT OF TIME! HERE COMES THE FLAMES, DARLING!

Hiro: Oh no...

Mettaton: THEY'RE CLOSING IN!

Hiro _(panicking)_ : What do I do!?

Mettaton: GETTING! CLOSER! OH MY!

Hiro: Ngh...Alphys, help!

Mettaton: ANY MINUTE NOW!!

_(silence)_

Mettaton: …... _(robotic cough)_

Hiro: Too hot.... _(hears his phone ring and answers)_ Alphys, help! Mettaton got me trapped in fire!

Alphys: Watch out! I'll save you! I'm hacking into the firewall right now!

Hiro: Hurry! _(sees the fire extinguished quickly)_ Phew...

Mettaton: OH NO! HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN??? FOILED AGAIN BY THE BRILLIANT DR. ALPHYS!

_(awkward pause)_

Hiro: Uh...

Mettaton: THAT-

Alphys: That's right! Come on, Mettaton! Give up already! You'll never be able to defeat us...not as long as we work together!

Hiro: Y-Yah! What she said!

Alphys: Your puzzle's over... now go home and leave us alone!

Hiro: Yeah!

Mettaton: PUZZLE? OVER? ALPHYS, DARLING, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? DID YOU FORGET WHAT THE GREEN TILES DO? THEY MAKE A SOUND, THEN YOU HAVE TO FIGHT A MONSTER.

Hiro: Wait, isn't that new-

Mettaton: WELL, DARLING, THAT MONSTER....IS ME!

_(greyscale battlefield)_

Mettaton: THIS IS IT, DARLING, SAY GOODBYE! _(hears Hiro's phone)_ IS THAT YOUR PHONE? YOU'D BETTER ANSWER IT.

Hiro: H-Hello?! Alphys!

Alphys: H-Hey!! Th-This seems bad, but don't worry!! There's one last thing I installed on your phone..! You see that yellow button...?

Hiro _(looks on his phone and sees a yellow button above JETPACK)_ : Yeah?

Alphys: Go to the phone's [[ACT]] menu and press it!

Hiro: Okay! _(sees the [[ACT]] panel glowing, sees the option Yellow in yellow color)_ Here! _(sees his phone resonating with Mettaton's presence)_ Huh?

Mettaton: OH!!! THAT YELLOW GLOW....!

Hiro _(soul turns the pointed end to the robot and flashed yellow)_ : Whoa!

Alphys: Now press it!

Aiming his soul like a gun, Hiro shot energy bullets at Mettaton.

Mettaton: OOOH! OOOOOOOH! YOU'VE DEFEATED ME! HOW CAN THIS BE, YOU WERE STRONGER THAN I THOUGHT, ETC. WHATEVER. _(leaves the field and color returns)_

Hiro _(soul returned to normal and he answered his phone)_ : Alphys, he left!

Alphys: L-Looks like you beat him!

Hiro: Yeah, and that was so cool! I didn't my soul could do that!

Alphys: You did a really great job out there!

Hiro: All thanks to you, Alphys!

Alphys: What? Oh no, I mean... You were the one doing everything cool! I just wrote some silly programs for your phone.

Hiro: you still helped me out with them, so you're cool, too!

Alphys: ….umm, h-hey, this might sound strange, but...c-can I tell you something?

Hiro: Yeah?

Alphys: …..

Hiro: ?

Alphys: B-before I met you, I d-didn't really... I didn't like myself very much.

Hiro: Why not?

Alphys: For a long time, I felt like a total screw-up. L-Like I couldn't do a-anything w-without...without ending up letting everyone down. B-But...! Guiding you has made me feel... a lot better about myself. So... thanks for letting me help you.

Hiro: Welcome!

Alphys: ….Uhhh, anyway, we're almost to the CORE. It's just past MTT Resort. Come on! Let's finish this!

Hiro: Yeah! _(hangs up)_ All right.

Hiro moved on and realized how far he was from the end _(nowhere near)_ and headed up. He arrived at an area where he saw the nice cream guy and the guards flanking the stairs ahead with paths to the left and right.

Hiro: Ah! I can get more ice cream!

Nice Cream Guy: Hey! It's you again! Business is excellent here! These two fellas bought all my ice cream! I've actually sold out of everything!!

Hiro: Oh what...

NCG: ...Sorry... Wait! I've still got something for you!

Hiro: Really?! What is it?

NCG: A big smile! How about that!

Hiro: Aaaw...

NCG: I'm so happy! Nice cream is really changing the world!

Disappointed at not getting more Nice Cream, Hiro went over to the guards, noticing that RG02 seems happy.

RG01: Oh hey, we're, like, taking a rain check on that killing-you thing. Like, don't tell Undyne about this, ok?

Hiro: Um, okay...

He checked the right path and saw the R3 elevator and Heats Flamesman. Which Hiro got right according to the monster's reaction of being easily defeated. He'll always remember that Hiro remembered. He checked the left path and found the stage he fell from with Mettaton, so the only way is up. Hiro found himself between a pair of red rope barriers before the building at the area Alphys mentioned: MMT Resort. A large building with the windows and double glass doors having light shining through, the windows having a burgundy plant ledge under them, a red carpet rolled out in front of the doors that has T's on the sides and M's on the end, and a gold sign showing MTT and a pair of rectangular robots with wings on the ends hanging above a white and yellow checkered awning. The right side of the building has red spray paint graffiti and an arrow on the ground pointing into the alleyway. In awe of the building before, he soon noticed Sans leaning against the plant ledge. He had a really worried look on his face as he stared at the double glass doors, not noticing Hiro approaching him.

Hiro: Sans?

Sans: ….

Hiro _(taps his arm)_ : Sans!

Sans _(jolts)_ : Huh?! _(sees Hiro)_ Oh, were you calling, uh, me?

Hiro: Yeah. Something wrong?

Sans _(shakes his head then smiles_ ): Nah, I'm all right. _(looks at the door)_ It looks like you're going to the Core.

Hiro: How'd you know?

Sans: I...heard about it. How about grabbing some dinner with me first?

Hiro: Yeah, I am hungry.

Sans: Great, thanks for treating me.

Hiro: Wait, what?

Sans: Hahaha, just kidding. _(walks toward the left alleyway)_ Follow me. I know a shortcut. _(leads Hiro to a wall; he touched it and several purple rings pulsed from his palm, creating a chain ring on the wall)_

Hiro: Whoa! That's so cool!

Sans: Cool, huh? Let's go. _(leads Hiro through it and they both end up appearing on the opposite sides of a dining table)_

Hiro looked around in surprise and noticed he and Sans were in a fancy restaurant. Candle lit tables shaped like Mettaton, a platoon of ficus plants lining the walls, a few TVs showing Mettaton's shows, and two celebrity bulletin boards showing the latest reviews- courtesy of Mettaton. There's a small stage near the lobby entrance and reservation counter where a few monsters are at.

Sans: Well, here we are. _(sits down in the chair)_

Hiro: Eh? How did we...? _(sits in his chair with his feet dangling off the floor a little)_

Sans: So, your journey's almost over, huh?

Hiro: Looks like it. I have to go to the Core next.

Sans: ...The Core, huh...? You really must want to go home.

Hiro: Yeah...

Sans _(shifts his eyes away while lightly squeezing the chain decal on his sleeve)_ : Yeah... I know the feeling, kiddo.

Hiro: You do? Is that why you look sad sometimes?

Sans _(looks at Hiro in surprise)_ : Eh? _(shakes hi head)_ Not really. Though...I guess it's better to take what you're given, y'know? You got everything down here; food, drink, friends... Is what you have to do really worth it?

Hiro: Hmmm, I don't know. Is it?

Sans _(leans back in his chair as he looks away)_ : …. _(looks at Hiro as he waves the thought away)_ Eh, forget it. I feel like I should be rooting for you. You're....different..somehow.

Hiro: Eh? _Different? (sees Sans look away before looking back at him)_

Sans: Hey. You wanna hear a story?

Hiro: Yeah!

Sans: Right. This is something that I once told somebody I knew. So you know I'm a sentry in Snowdin Forest, right?

Hiro: Yeah? With Papyrus.

Sans _(the corner of his mouth twitched)_ : Yeah. I sit out there, watching out for humans. Pretty boring, if you ask me. So one day, I was walking into the forest and found a huge door, and I thought it'd be great for trying out knock-knock jokes.

Hiro: _Huge door in the forest, that's to the Ruins..._

Sans: I'm knocking them out like usual, and I knocked on the door saying, “Knock knock!”. I then heard a woman's voice from the other side replying “Who is there?”

Hiro: A woman? _Ah, Toriel!_

Sans: Yeah. I was surprised at first, then decided to say, hmm, “Dishes”. “Dishes who?” “Dishes a very bad joke!”

Hiro _(laughs)_ : That's a good one!

Sans: Hahahaha! Yeah, just like that! She just laughed like it was the best thing she heard in a hundred years. So I kept going and she kept laughing. It was great.

Hiro: It was a funny joke!

Sans: Yeah and you know what? After a while, she knocks and says _(imitates Toriel's voice, but slightly higher)_ “Knock knock!”. I go “Who's there?” “Old lady.” “Old lady who?” “Oh, I did not know you could yodel!”

Hiro _(laughs)_ : That was funny!

Sans: Heh, sure was. What a classic. She was really good. We kept going at it for hours. Things weren't looking so boring after all when I kept coming back to joke with her everyday. It's really fun. Of course, I had to leave because Ca-uh, Papyrus gets cranky without his bedtime story.

Hiro: You read bedtime stories to him? _Ca...?_

Sans: Pretty much. Done so for a long time. _(looks away for a moment before looking at Hiro)_ …. One day, though, she wasn't laughing as much as she used to.

Hiro: Really? What was wrong?

Sans: I asked her the same thing, and you know what she asked of me?

Hiro: What?

Sans: She asked me, “If a human ever comes through this door, could you please....please promise me something? Watch over them, and protect them, will you not...?”

Hiro: Oh. Wait, so you were watching over me all those times?

Sans: Pretty much.

Hiro: Oh. Thanks for that!

Sans: No problem. ...Well, maybe one problem...

Hiro: Huh?

Sans: You see, the thing about promises is that I'm not good with them, and I don't even know this woman's name. But for someone who genuinely likes bad jokes, she has an integrity that you couldn't say no to. _(turns his head away sighing)_

Hiro: Huh, I thought she told you her name.

Sans: I never really asked her. But you know what...

Hiro: What? _(feels a slight eerie feeling growing)_

Sans: That promise I made to her... _(looks at Hiro)_ It's been a lot easier to maintain with ya than it was with the person I told the story to. But you understand, right...?

Hiro _(feels a growing chill crawling down his spine)_ : I...N-No..?

Sans: Really..? Well, be glad dat ye're not like de person from 'efore... Bucko....

Hiro _(becoming filled with terror)_ : Wh....Why...?

Sans: Why..? Why ask? _(blinks and his eye sockets are completely black; slightly growling)_ **You're not dead...are you?**

Hiro had a horrible vision of his other self holding a knife, being controlled by some strange entity and facing a different Sans. Bones were flying everywhere and skulls were blasting lasers at him. There was a strange twinge of pain in his left thigh like something sharp stabbed it and he saw a red slash on Sans's chest.

Do skeletons even bleed...?

Hiro _(tries to keep his screams inside and shakes his head)_ : Agggh, no...

Sans: H-Hey, you all right there?

Hiro: I....No...I've been...having these really scary things come up in my head. And I hate them.

Sans: Like what?

Hiro: Like...monsters getting hurt and... someone who looks like me hurting them...and someone who doesn't look like me hurting them..and voices telling me to do bad things..and you look different, too.

Sans: …...Different how?

Hiro: You're not wearing the outfit you have on. You got a blue jacket on, and none of that stuff on your clothes.

Sans _(looks at himself then points at his chains)_ : ….Huh..the chains? Really?

Hiro: Yeah. But! I didn't listen to the bad stuff and did good! I didn't want to hurt anyone like the voice wanted me to!! Because I'm determined!

Sans: … _(grin widens)_ That's good, buddy. You must've done such a great job with that determination, you probably haven't died once, huh?

Hiro: …..Uh....

Sans: ..Am I wrong?

Hiro: Ah... I lost count at Muffet...

Sans: Muffet?

Hiro: Yeah, the spider girl who has a bakery parlor.

Sans _(has a flicker of a flashback where a bespectacled human child was wrapped in spider silk as a spider girl watched and the sound of something snapping makes him flinch)_ : Oh...her. ….heh. _(stands up with Hiro doing the same)_ Well, that's all I wanted to discuss. Take care of yourself, and keep on staying determined.

Hiro: Okay. _(watches Sans leave the way they came in through the wall)_ Hmn....Wait, we didn't get to eat yet!

With that realization, Hiro explored the area in search of food. He was going to try and go through the portal Sans made, but instead saw an orange humanoid monster by the plant. The monster forgot to make a reservation before entering the dining area, so he kept on to not look like he screwed up and ended up licking dew off a ficus plant. He met a hulking red demon who said to the puzzles were originally made to stop human attacks, but they soon became a tradition that you couldn't go _(ugh)_ two feet without being up to the armpits in puzzles. He also met a small mole monster wearing a hard hardhat and turned out to be an employee of the core. The interior is a maze made of swappable parts that can be shuffled at will. He seemed to enjoy it as he loves puzzle. Hiro moved on to see a giant fish manning the reservation service counter, saying that one must reserve a table to eat, as well as other things like chairs, silverware, food, etc. Hiro went to the next area and was greeted by a blinding yellow floor, and a Mettaton statue fountain with water being sprayed out from the mouth to the floor and carpet. As strange as it was, it was a relaxing atmosphere in the hotel, giving Hiro plenty of determination as he saved his progress. As he does this, Tether had just calmed his nerves from wanting to throw a bone at Hiro. He's beginning to realize that the child may not be like the Frisk from his world. He was cautious about it since the last time something like this happened, it went downhill after a time. But he felt like it was definitely different, but he'll have to wait and see once he meets up with Hiro again.

Tether _(pulls out his pen and purple notebook from his jacket; starts to write)_ : Bad visions....strange voices...someone who looks like me....someone who looks like him.... _(taps his pen against his chin)_ This is getting really strange. I may need to get more info from him about those visions and voices. _(stops in front of the hotel doors)_ He's going to the Core... It might not be the one from my world....but it feels just as uncomfortable.... No choice, huh.... _(shakes his head)_ Come on, Tether. Just like you said. Keep on staying determined.

~~TO BE CONTINUED~~


	7. LINE 7: GLAMOROUS TO THE CORE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Having a dance battle with a killer robot fills you with fabulous determination!

UNDERTALE

~~LINEAR TEMPORAL~~

~~LINE 7: GLAMOROUS TO THE CORE~~

Hiro had started to explore the lobby of the hotel. Other than the bright floor and the statue, Hiro met a small pink and blue origami monster who says that MTT Resort is Hotland's biggest apartment building-turned-hotel. It prides itself in providing a good stay, whether someone stays there for a night or already lived there, even when it's passed through. The front desk is manned by a blue monster with a hand for a head, and he spotted three monsters loitering before an elevator. One is a worried green dragon on the phone telling someone that he might not get home, a white feline monster wearing red shoes on her front paws, glasses, black hair, and has a black briefcase by her, and a black one-eyed slime monster who's outraged at the situation. The elevator before them was apparently in use, but from the sound of the complaints from them, it was like this for a good while. Down the right hall are a set of four doors. One asked for Sea Tea, one asked for a Cinnamon Bun, one didn't specify anything, and one was locked from the inside. Hiro wasn't able to provide the items as he used most of them previously, so he moved on as a green janitor monster was mopping up his own dripping slime in vain. As he was about to head out the doors with the CORE sign above them, he heard a cough ring out from the shop on the right of the Core entrance. There's a sign that showed a burger next to the letters MTT above the double doors. He walked inside to see a standard burger shop with the only employee smoking behind the counter. The employee was an orange cat person wearing a red and yellow uniform with a paper hat of the same colors, and the name tag showing “Burgerpants” on it. He was leaning on the counter, smoking his cigarette and looking bored as usual. On the menu, there was a Starfait, a Glamburger, a Legendary Hero, and a Steak Shaped Like Mettaton's Face _(yes, that's what it's called)_. Hiro only had enough for 3 Starfaits, so he bought those, getting inwardly startled by Burgerpants's “joyful” reaction.

Burgerpants _(has a pained smile)_ : Thanksy! Have a FABU-FUL day!!!

Hiro decided to try and ask about the hotel, but ended up getting various pieces of advice, from not ending up like him to never interacting with attractive people. Case in point: the two girls who asked him to sneak some Glamburgers for them. He was caught by his boss on his way to meet them, leading him to drop the burgers and his pants, earning him the nickname. Burgerpants dreamed of working with Mettaton, but not in this manner. He wanted to be an actor, but ended up working at the restaurant. Even though he had some troubles with the robot, Hiro asked why Mettaton was bad, and Burgerpants called this place a labyrinth of bad choices. Even when the staff tries to change something to work better, Mettaton rejects the idea, citing that it's not how it worked on the surface. This confused Hiro as he knows the monsters hadn't been on the surface, so how would Mettaton know? Hiro certainly didn't know. He's just a kid. When the cat mentioned how humans were always eating hamburgers made of sequins and glue, Hiro felt disgusted at the thought. Burgerpants questioned how people find the robot attractive, when he's literally a rectangle. He did at one point buy a kit online that makes people more rectangular, but it didn't work. Hiro was curious about what Burgerpants would do if he was freed. The cat told him he was probably going to be stuck at this job forever, but the one thing that keeps him going is that if Asgore gets one more Soul, everyone can leave for the surface and he'll find a second chance for himself.

That worried Hiro.

He's still not sure of what to think of Asgore. After that enlightening conversation, Hiro was curious about the two chicks Burgerpants mentioned. He didn't go down the alley before when he met Sans, so he headed back out. There, he met two monsters; an alligator with blonde hair, pink eyes, and wearing a pink longsleeved top with blue and yellow stripes, and a purple cat with black hair that has blue tips, a gold earring on her left ear, and wearing blue overalls that have yellow fur lined on the straps. Their wares were interesting. Junk food, a gun, a cowboy hat, and a key. Again, Hiro only had enough for some stuff, so he only bought the junk food. When asked about Burgerpants, the girls called him a creep, even though Catty thought he was kind of cute. She didn't have any real standards. They thought he'd be okay if he treated them with respect. He seemed to blame them for the way he acts, especially when they asked him for the Glamburgers. Bratty was going to share them, but Catty wasn't planning to. Bratty and Catty were their names, and they're best friends for-EVER! Looking over the items, Hiro had asked where they got their stuff.

Catty: We got them from the garbage!

_(awkward pause)_

Bratty: It's GOOD garbage.

Catty: It's like, really good garbage.

Hiro was not so sure about the junk food now. They apparently got their garbage from the garbage store, but mostly from Waterfall. Catty exclaimed that she found a gun in a dumpster. Hiro wondered if it belonged to anyone who came before him, which is possible since he did see some trash fall into the area. When he asked about Mettaton, the girls were crazy about him. They both claim that he's their robot husband, either being already married to him or planning to do so. He just doesn't know yet. Hiro wasn't sure if Mettaton is husband material considering the few run-ins he had with the robot, but the girls mentioned that they heard rumors about him being made by Dr. Alphys was his idea. Afterwards, he acted like she was an old friend. They weren't friends anymore, unlike these two. About Alphys, she used to live on their street and was like a big sister to them, if she takes you on trips to the dump. She showed them the coolest places and always collecting some weird cartoons. Then she became the Royal Scientist and they haven't seen her in forever. They mentioned Alphys had always thought Asgore was a super cutie, so they thought she made Mettaton to impress him. A robot with a Soul was something that was possibly relevant to his hobbies. Soon after, Asgore made her do the science stuff, but apart from Hiro, nobody's seen anything from her. She likely just stays in her lab all day. When asked about Asgore, Bratty called him a total goober and Catty says he's a big, fuzzy, goofball.

More descriptions of Asgore that confused Hiro.

They mentioned how he was nice and they love him. So much so, they're both hyped for the destruction of humanity. Disturbed, Hiro left them with that thought and mulled over what happened. The more Hiro hears about Asgore, the more he wonders why Toriel made him out to be so bad. It's clear that everyone but her loves him. Did the king do something to draw Toriel's hatred to him? He'll find out soon, he feels. For now, Hiro decided to talk to Burgerpants about Bratty and Catty. Hiro told him the girls talked about him and that he should stop acting like they owed him, and if he wanted to be friends with them, he should see through their perspective. Burgerpants felt pity for Hiro, thinking he got brainwashed. Friendship was a hot person's way of making someone their slave, according to him. He then wanted to know what time they wanted to hang out. Hiro went back to ask them and Catty said he should go look for junk with them. Bratty was worried, but Catty thinks it'll be fun. She felt that that kind of person would want to hang out all the time once they join up. Catty wondered if she felt bad for him, and thought about how cool they are compared to him. They'd be saving his life with their friendship. Bratty was still unsure, but once Catty mentioned Glamburgers, Bratty asked if he was free after work. Hiro soon realized he's being a messenger between Burgerpants, Bratty, and Catty. He told Burgerpants that they want to hang out after work, and the cat got excited, thanking him and asking Hiro where they wanted to go.

Hiro: To the garbage dump.

Burgerpants eventually accepted it. After playing messenger for the trio, Hiro found that the relaxing atmosphere of the hotel filled him with determination. He looked past the front desk towards the doors with a flashing sign saying “CORE” above. With some resolve, Hiro pushed forward. Once he stepped out, he spotted two shadow figures heading into an opening ahead on the opposite end of the bridge. Before moving past the flanking bushes, his phone rings.

Hiro: Hello? I just saw two shadows ahead of me.

Alphys: Huh? Who are they? N-Nobody else is s-supposed to be here. Oh well! We can't worry about that now! _(hangs up)_

Hiro entered the area and it looked far more advanced than any other area he went through. The floor is mainly blue with some glowing circuitry lines in intricate designs in different areas. Two paths flanking the elevators led to a different exit, and before he picked one, his phone soon rang again.

Hiro: Alphys, I'm here.

Alphys: I see you! Ready? This is it! Take the elevator up to the top of the CORE!

Hiro _(goes up to the elevator, but finds it's not working; answers his ringing phone)_ : Ah, the elevator's not working.

Alphys: What?

Hiro: I'm pressing the buttons, but it's not opening.

Alphys: ….The elevator should be working... W-Well then! Go to the right and keep heading up!

Hiro: Okay! _(follows her instructions, but ends up in a dark room with blazing fire below)_ Uhhh....

Alphys: Now just keep heading up!

Hiro: I can't! There's fire here!

Alphys: ... That pit...isn't on my map. Forget it! Let's try the left side!

Hiro left the room and went up the left path. He saw three red-tipped blue columns flanking the path.

Alphys: Okay, you should be able to make it through here!

Hiro: All right.

As he headed up, the two shadow figures he saw before quickly approached him.

Hiro: Ah!

Alphys: W-Watch out!

The area went grayscale and a battle ensued. Hiro soon faced against a magician type monster that popped out of its hat along with two floating spheres. Its hat covered its eyes, didn't look like it had arms as its coat bellowed and its boots floated underneath it. His options were Talk, Stare, and Clear Mind. Hiro decided to clear his mind and thought of pollen and sunshine. Hiro soon had to dodge flying crosses, but got hit once. The Madjick, as it was called, flaunted its orbs menacingly. Hiro then tried talking to it, but was interrupted as it chattered to itself. Hiro managed to dodge the orbs, then Madjick whispered arcane swear words at the boy. Hiro soon spared it, clearing the room of gray and answering his phone.

Alphys: Th-That was close... Wh...Why are there so many monsters here?

Hiro: Maybe they work here?

Alphys: Ah... I mean... It's no problem, r-r-right? W-w-we've just got to keep moving forward! _(becomes silent then hangs up)_

Hiro: …?

Hiro soon enter the next area and ahead of him is a barrier and a long glass-floored bridge lined with the laser nodes. Three sets of three light bulbs with three different colors are seen on the light-stripped wall before the switch. He noticed that he could see the various inner parts of the bridge as the lights flickered in various patterns and some spots have a sort of wear with some gray panels and purple insulation worn or broken off, exposing the wires underneath.

Hiro: It's that barrier... _(answers his phone)_

Alphys: Looks like you can't proceed until you hit the switch. B-But, those lasers will activate when you do. Um, looks like they'll come in this order. Orange, orange, blue. Got it, move until the third one!

Hiro: Okay. _(hits the switch, then moves forward)_ Oran- _(sees the colors being blue, blue, then orange)_ BLUE?! _(gets hit by the blue laser, dodges the lasers that followed, stopped on the second blue one and dashing through the orange one)_ I.. _(picks up the call)_ Alphys!?

Alphys: Oh my god... Are you hurt? I...I'm sorry, I.... I gave you the wrong order. _(slight panic)_ E-Everything's fine, okay? Just keep going to the right.

Hiro: Okay... _Is she all right...?_

Hiro made his way through the corridor, spotting even more panels broken off and the triple set light bulbs on the wall, passing them by before he arrives at a T road with the bottom pointing north. Seeing the state of the area made Hiro think that the Core hasn't been fixed up for some time.

Alphys: A crossroads... _(clicking and papers shifting are heard)_ Uuuh....uhhh.... Tr...Try heading to the right!

Hiro: Okay. _(moves ahead; his phone rings)_ Hello?

Alphys: W-Wait! No, I think you should h-head up!

Hiro: Ah, I guess?

Hiro moves up into another area. He soon runs into a shadow figure again, and meets a monster called Knight Knight as the area went gray. She was a giant kneeling monster with a face that occupies most of its torso and is occasionally tapping her large mace on the ground. Checking his options, all Hiro could do is Talk and Sing to her. He remembered singing with Shyren, so he tried that, noticing the monster getting sleepy. The monster looked drowsy, but she managed to rain meteors and Hiro got hit by one. Hiro dodges them this time after singing again, lulling the monster into a deep sleep. Once she did, he took the chance to spare her.

Hiro _(answers the call)_ : I ran into more monsters...

Alphys: Sorry, I...I...I thought that... Let's try the right.

Hiro: Okay... _(returns to the crossroad and heads to the right; sees a long corridor with the laser nodes moving their blue and orange lasers across the way)_ Ack, it's lasers again.

Alphys: M... More lasers... Okay, I...I won't mess around this time. I'll just deactivate the lasers and let you through. _(clicking and tapping is heard, then stops)_

Hiro: …..? Alphys?

Alphys: They're... They're not turning off... I can't turn them off, I....

Hiro _(worried)_ : What are we gonna do?

Alphys: I-I-It's okay! I have this under control! I'm going to turn off the p-power for that whole node. Then you can walk across. _(turns power off in node)_ Okay, go!

Hiro: I'm moving now! _(moves across)_

Alphys: W-WAIT! STOP!

Hiro _(sees the lights flickering and stops as the corridor gets filled with blue lasers; a blue laser appears and points at his side)_ : Aaaah....Alphys...

Alphys: Th-The power... _(heavy tapping is heard)_ It's turning itself back on. D-Damn it... Th-This isn't supposed to...

Hiro: I can't move...

Alphys: I...I'm gonna turn it off again. When it turns off, move a little then STOP. Okay? Y-You won't get h-h-hurt.

Hiro: All right.

It was an excruciating trek across the bridge as Hiro was guided by the lights to stop and move. He did take a chance to hang up as he needed to focus on the path ahead. Once he made it, he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and answered Alphys's call.

Hiro: I made it!

Alphys _(slightly more panicked)_ : Yes! S-See? I've got everything under control. Everything's under control! _(hangs up)_

Hiro _(stares at his phone before hanging up)_ : Uh….? Hm. _(leaves the area)_

He makes it to a crossroads where a Save Star is waiting. The area was more lit up from the light below. Hiro look down to see flowing glowing liquid that he was unsure of what it was made of, so he moved on to the star, answering his phone as he approached it.

Hiro: Ah, I'm at another place with more roads. Where should I go next?

Alphys: Okay! Y-You should... _(rustling sounds)_ You should.... I don't know? _(rustling stops)_ This doesn't look like my map at all..

Hiro: Ah, uh... _(looks around)_ Um, there's a star and four paths and-

Alphys: I'm sorry... I...I...I have to go.

Hiro: Alph- _(gets hung up on; stares at his phone)_ …..I hope she's okay....

After pocketing his phone, he touched the star. He could smell something in the air. He's heard of the ozone layer in one of his classes, and this scent made him think of it for some reason. Either way, it filled him with determination. Two signs with green light lettering are seen on the wall flanking the northern path. The left sign shows “North, the warrior's path. West, the sage's path. Any path leads to The End.” The right one shows “East... The End.”

Hiro: Wow, that's easy! I'm gonna go this way!

Hiro departed down the eastern path. The path led through a large area of liquid and past several mechanical chrome pillars that have several red lights flashing on them. He soon came to another crossroads with two signs and an electrical barrier. These signs show “To the East! This is The End.” and “ I cannot fight. I cannot think. But, with patience, I will make my way through.”

Hiro: Hmn, I don't think I can wait. I'll go up more. _(leaves, doesn't notice the barrier vanishing)_

He kept going north to find a T-road, so he kept going to see what's up there. He found himself in a room with just a trash can inside. He decided to look inside and found 100G in it, digging it out and leaving. He went to the left this time, coming across a sign showing “Traverse the northern room, and The End will open.” Hiro was curious about the other end, so he went left to find another T-road and went north. Another room with a trash can present had a Glamburger in it. Hiro was unsure of it, but it's wrapped up, so he felt that it should be okay. Hiro went back to where he was and made his way on the long bridge, only to be ambushed by what looks like an armored Whimsun called a Whimsalot and a spikier Froggit with a small crown called a Final Froggit. The options for Whimsalot were Terrorize, Console, and Pray, and the ones for Final Froggit were Threaten, Compliment, and Mystify. Hiro decided to compliment the Froggit.

Hiro: I like your crown!

The Froggit understood him perfectly and lowered its ATTACK. Despite that, Hiro didn't do well in the fight, flailing around and getting hit by flies and butterflies. There was a strange smell lingering around that was like nightshade and bleach. Hiro turned to Whimsalot and used Console.

Hiro: Um....I think what you're doing is all right?

Whimsalot: Ah...I've made my peace.

Hiro got surrounded by butterflies and couldn't really dodge the flies, leaving his health at 1. He quickly ate a Starfait, healing himself back to 19. Against, he got surrounded and took hits. Afterwards, he noticed the Whimsalot locking eyes with his, so he prayed. This caused the monster to remember its conscience, leading it to not want to fight any longer. Hiro spared the monster and focused his attention to the frog. With only Final Froggit left, Hiro was able to dodge the flies easily. He saw a look on the monster's face like it knew why it's here. Hiro decided to try mystifying it and did something mysterious. Upon seeing this, Final Froggit recognized that it had more to learn from this world. Suddenly, a small white frog appeared, hitting Hiro at first, but he was able to avoid it. Hiro soon spared it and the battle ended. He noticed he was running out of items to use, so he went back to the hotel and Snowdin to buy more, dropping by Sans and Papyrus's place and seeing Undyne and the tall skeleton hanging out by the mailboxes. Hiro waved at them as he went back to return to the Core to continue onward. Again, he was ambushed by a Madjick, but also a Knight Knight. He knew what to do with them. Shocking to Hiro, he managed to dodge the spheres and crosses that appeared. He sung Shyren's song again until the knight fell asleep. While she slept, Hiro dodged Madjick's sphere, sparing Knight Knight in the process. This time, Hiro messed up and ran into the crosses. Hiro glared at both orbs, causing them to freeze, and thus giving him an opportunity to spare Madjick and leave the battle. Not a few more steps ahead, and he ran into Final Froggit, Whimsalot, and a new monster that similar to Loox called Astigmatism. Astigmatism's options were Don't Pick On, Pick On, and Challenge. Hiro didn't want to challenge nor pick on it. Hiro realized too late that he forgot to heal and died in the battle, surrounded by butterflies and running into a bubble stream. Hiro woke up at the Save Star and realized he had to fight Knight Knight and Madjick again.

Hiro: Agh....

This time, he was bombarded by meteors which threw him off from his last attempt. After sparing them, he went back and saved before facing the three monsters that he lost to. Hiro remembered Astigmatism saying to pick on it, so he did, sparing it afterwards. He did the same methods on the frog and bug monsters, but did horribly worse, dying again. It really was a nightmare. He even noticed the eye monster saying not too pick on it, and died again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

Until finally, Hiro managed to beat them. Ahead of him was a switch on the wall. He figured it was for the exit and clicked it. After that, he went back to the star, saved, and moved on. He went down the path that mentioned the east being the end and followed it, leading to a bridge where he ran into an Astigmatism. He picked on and spared it with ease. Hiro reached an area where the elevator and an entrance similar to the one he went through before the first set of lasers is seen.

Hiro _(saves then stands before the winged entrance)_ : This gotta be the way to get to the castle. _(nods)_ Right, I'm getting determined!

Once he went through, he was confronted by none other than Mettaton.

Hiro: Not you again...

Mettaton: OH YES. THERE YOU ARE, DARLING.

Hiro: What's it this time?

Mettaton: IT'S TIME TO HAVE OUR LITTLE SHOWDOWN. IT'S TIME TO FINALLY STOP THE “MALFUNCTIONING” ROBOT. …..NOT!!! MALFUNCTION? REPROGRAMMING? GET REAL. THIS WAS ALL JUST A BIG SHOW. AN ACT. ALPHYS HAS BEEN PLAYING YOU FOR A FOOL THE WHOLE TIME.

Hiro: Eh? Really...?

Mettaton: YES. AS SHE WATCHED YOU ON THE SCREEN, SHE GREW ATTACHED TO YOUR ADVENTURE. SHE DESPERATELY WANTED TO BE A PART OF IT. SO SHE DECIDED TO INSERT HERSELF INTO YOUR STORY. SHE REACTIVATED PUZZLES. SHE DISABLED ELEVATORS. SHE ENLISTED ME TO TORMENT YOU. ALL SO SHE COULD SAVE YOU FROM DANGERS THAT DIDN'T EXIST. ALL SO YOU WOULD THINK SHE'S THE GREAT PERSON...THAT SHE'S NOT. AND NOW, IT'S TIME FOR HER FINEST HOUR. AT THIS VERY MOMENT, ALPHYS IS WAITING OUTSIDE THE ROOM. DURING OUR “BATTLE,” SHE WILL INTERRUPT. SHE WILL PRETEND TO DEACTIVATE ME, “SAVING” YOU ONE FINAL TIME. FINALLY, SHE'LL BE THE HEROINE OF YOUR ADVENTURE. YOU'LL REGARD HER SO HIGHLY, SHE'LL EVEN BE ABLE TO CONVINCE YOU NOT TO LEAVE....OR NOT. YOU SEE, I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS PREDICTABLE CHARADE. I HAVE NO DESIRE TO HARM HUMANS. FAR FROM IT, ACTUALLY. MY ONLY DESIRE IS TO ENTERTAIN. AFTER ALL, THE AUDIENCE DESERVES A GOOD SHOW, DON'T THEY? AND WHAT'S A GOOD SHOW...WITHOUT A PLOT TWIST?

_(door shuts behind Hiro; knocking is heard)_

Alphys: H-Hey!!! Wh-Wh-What's going on!? Th-Th-The door just locked itself!

Hiro _(looks back)_ : Alphys!?

_(the area lights up in red with five red spotlights surrounding Mettaton with one white spotlight focused on him)_

Mettaton _(holding a microphone)_ : SORRY, FOLKS! THE PROGRAM'S BEEN CANCELLED!!! BUT WE'VE GOT A FINALE THAT WILL DRIVE YOU WILD!!

_(the floor raises up, then rises higher as Hiro falls to his knees)_

Mettaton: REAL DRAMA!! REAL ACTION!! REAL BLOODSHED!! ON OUR NEW SHOW...”ATTACK OF THE KILLER ROBOT!”

Hiro was thrown into a battle with Mettaton, his soul becoming yellow again. His only option was Burn, so he tried that. Considering how he often runs into fire recently, he felt that it was what he'll do if it continues in this manner.

Mettaton: YES, I WAS THE ONE THAT REARRANGED THE CORE! I WAS THE ONE THAT HIRED EVERYONE TO KILL YOU! THAT, HOWEVER, WAS A SHORT-SIGHTED PLAN. YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD BE A HUNDRED TIMES BETTER? KILLING YOU MYSELF!!

Hiro: Then that person Muffet mentioned was him... ( _waits for the attacks to come, but nothing happened)_

Mettaton: LISTEN, DARLING. I'VE SEEN YOU FIGHT. YOU'RE WEAK. IF YOU CONTINUE FORWARD, ASGORE WILL TAKE YOUR SOUL, AND WITH YOUR SOUL, ASGORE WILL DESTROY HUMANITY.

Hiro was caught off guard with some falling blocks, which he started blasting away. Hiro decided to try and spare the robot, but Mettaton ignored his attempt.

Mettaton: BUT IF I GET YOUR SOUL, I CAN STOP ASGORE'S PLAN! I CAN SAVE HUMANITY FROM DESTRUCTION!

Hiro spotted some robotic arms descending and shot at them, forcing them to pull back from him.

Mettaton: THEN, USING YOUR SOUL, I'LL CROSS THROUGH THE BARRIER...AND BECOME THE STAR I'VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF BEING! HUNDREDS, THOUSANDS...NO! MILLIONS OF HUMANS WILL WATCH ME!

Two arms and a line of blocks with a bomb in the middle fell. Hiro shot the arms and a block, but he runs into one by accident.

Hiro: Ah!

Mettaton: GLITZ! GLAMOUR! I'LL FINALLY HAVE IT ALL! SO WHAT IF A FEW PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE? THAT'S SHOW BUSINESS, BABY!

Hiro _(gets a call from Alphys)_ : Alphys, help!

Alphys: U...Uh.... I can't see what's going on in there, but.... D-D-Don't give up, okay!? Th...There's o-one l-l-last way to beat Mettaton...It's...um...it's... This is a work-in-progress, so don't judge it too hard...But you know Mettaton always faces f-f-forward?

Hiro: Yeah!

Alphys: That's because there's a switch on his backside. S-S-So if y-y-you c-c-can turn him around... um... And, umm... press th-th-th-the switch... He'll be... um.... He'll be... Vulnerable. Well, g-g-gotta go!

Hiro: Ah. I guess it's my chance to make him move. But how? _(notices the Burn option changed to Turn in yellow; selects it)_ Uuh, hey, there's a mirror behind you!

Mettaton: OH??? A MIRROR??? RIGHT, I HAVE TO LOOK PERFECT FOR OUR GRAND FINALE! _(turns around and exposes his switch)_ HMMM... I DON'T SEE IT... WHERE IS IT....?

Hiro _(flips the switch)_ : Got ya!

Mettaton: DID YOU. JUST FLIP. MY SWITCH?

Suddenly, Mettaton was shaking violently as Hiro backed far away, worrying the robot would soon explode. Light bursts from the metal body until the whole area was engulfed in it, yet the only sound that was heard was....

OH~ YES~

Hiro: Oh...whoa...?

A pair of spotlights descended and focused their light within a cloud of smoke, a humanoid figure stood among it. Its voice had a familiar robotic tone in it, but it seemed more...human..?

???: Ohhh my. If you flipped my switch, that can only mean one thing. You're desperate for the premiere of my new body. How rude... Lucky for you, I've been aching to show this off for a long time. So... as thanks, I'll give you a handsome reward. I'll make your last living moments.... _(a flash of light reveals a male android)_ ABSOLUTELY beautiful!

Hiro was stunned in seeing this android, even more so when he finds out it's Mettaton, but with an EX on the end of his name. Mettaton had taken the shape of a man with short black hair, most of it covering his right eye, a metallic section on his left cheek, large shoulder guards, arms similar to the ones he had as a robot, holes on the right side of his chest that may be the speaker, a dial on the left side, a chassis containing a white soul, black skintight pants, and high-heeled boots. The boy watched as the android made various poses in place and noticed a line graph on the upper left corner that shows a yellow line, a cyan line, and fluctuating purple line, and the words “Ratings 3001”. His options are Pose, Boast, and Heel Turn. Hiro had watched the android doing many poses, so he tried one out dramatically, raising the ratings to 3101.

Mettaton EX: Lights! Camera! Action!

Hiro saw six legs appear, descending towards him. Hiro shot two grey ones to move them and went between moving ones, hitting on the right. He saw green words pop up and the ratings had 50 more points. Hiro posed again, raising the score 3311.

Me. EX: Drama! Romance! Bloodshed!

Bombs appearing between little umbrella-carrying Mettatons threw Hiro off as he shot the ones on the right side. A bomb explodes, catching him off guard. Hiro ate a Starfait, which the audience loves and received 300 points, the score being at 3756 now.

Me. EX: I'm the idol everyone craves!

Six legs and some boxes appeared, drawing Hiro's attention as he shoots the legs and boxes. Hiro didn't notice a leg and it hits him, making the score bump up to 3826. Hiro decided to do a boast.

Hiro: Your attacks won't get me! I won't get hit at all!

Me. EX: Well then! Smile for the camera!

Hiro saw the ratings gradually rise as two arms and four Minitons _(as Hiro decided to call them)_ descend. He managed to survive, and the ratings hit 4151. Hiro dramatically poses again, bringing the score to 4251.

Me. EX: Oooh, it's time for a pop quiz! Have fun with that on-screen keyboard... This one's an essay question!

To Hiro's surprise, a blank screen and grey keyboard popped up in front of him with the Essay Prompt: What do you love most about Mettaton? Hiro was unsure before putting his answer: His style and legs. Hiro threw in the legs part because he's been seeing them a lot in this battle, not because he liked them. Apparently, the mention of legs raised the number to 4601.

Me. EX: That's right. Legs was the correct answer! _(saves the answer for future use)_

Hiro _(confused)_ : Oh...I guess?? _That was right?? (strikes a pose again, seeing the number bump to 4701)_

Me. EX: Your essay really showed everyone your heart. Why don't I show you mine?

The door of the chassis opens and Mettaton's soul came out. Several pulses of electricity sparked out along with some Minitons blowing heart kisses at Hiro. Hiro tries his best to dodge the onslaught, but still gets hit by them. Even the violence contributed to the score as it rises to 4856. Seeing his health running low, Hiro eats a Glamburger. Because it was on brand, it jumped the score to 5356.

Me. EX: Ooooh, I'm just warming up!

Hiro manages to dodge all of the Minitons and their hearts. The score rose to 5416 now. Hiro hadn't noticed before, but the area had a peculiar smell wafting in the air. He soon realized it was coming from Mettaton. Hiro made another dramatic pose, making the score hit 5516.

Me. EX: You got some pretty lovely poses! But how are you on the dance floor!?

Hiro: Not that great...

A spotlight focused on Hiro as a disco ball hangs above him. Hiro shoots at it, noticing it changing the lights from white to blue. He keeps going as he noticed Mettaton's poses seem to be a little faster than before. The impromptu dance-off brought the score to 5526, with Hiro ending it in a pose, raising the score again to 5626.

Me. EX: Fabulous! Can you keep up the pace?

Hiro: Yeah!

The disco ball descends again, but the lights move faster. Hiro messes up his shot once, but he quickly regains control, ending the dance with 5666 points while posing again.

Me. EX: Lights! Camera! Bombs!

Hiro: Not again!

Hiro sees his battle field become thinner and four bombs and blocks appear. In his attempt to shoot them, one set hits Hiro while he was caught in the explosion. The violence bumped the ratings to 5856 before Hiro's pose made it 6006.

Me. EX: Things are blowing up!

To Hiro's dismay, more bomb blocks fall. He somehow only got hit once, bringing the score to 6136. He eats a part of a Bisicle, which he noticed it didn't bring the descending score up.

Me. EX: Time for our union-regulated break!

The words “Happy Break Time” flashes on Hiro's field.

Hiro: Just like Napstablook... _(notices Mettaton posing at a rapid rate)_ I'm gonna pose, too! _(poses with style)_

Me. EX: We've grown so distant, darling... How about another heart-to-heart?

Hiro sees the soul coming out again and shoots at it. 4 waves of boxes pulsing in and out from the android's soul along with sparks, and Hiro manages to dodge everything surprisingly well while shoot the dancing bot's soul, raising the score to 6496. This caused Mettaton's arms to fall off, startling Hiro as he poses to bring the score to 6596.

Hiro _(panicking)_ : M-Mettaton, your arms fell off!!

Me. EX: A..Arms? Wh...Who needs arms with legs like these? I'm still going to win!

Hiro didn't do well this round. He was hit by several blocks and bombs, and just when he thought it was over, there was a strange feeling in the air. Like time was being rewound. Suddenly, the blocks and bombs that went by him came back up, causing him to jump between the spaces he shot out. The ratings sat at 6816 because of this.

Hiro: That was close! _What was that feeling..? It feels..._

Me. EX: Come on...!

Again, the record/rewind stage appeared before Hiro. He did a little better this time, now that he got the gist of this stage. His score rose to 6996, but this is where things took a heel turn for the worse. He's run out of items.

Me.EX: The show...must go on!

Many blocks and bombs fall, causing Hiro to try and shoot at them. Hiro was hit a few times blasting the bombs away, his score hitting 7136 and jumping to 7286 after he poses.

Me.EX: Dr...Drama! A...Action!

The blocks and bombs fall again faster, and Hiro was hit a few times again. The ratings were at 7446 when he poses again.

Me. EX: L...Lights... C..Camera... Enough of this! Do you really want humanity to perish!? ….Or do you just believe in yourself that much?

Hiro: I don't want that, but I do believe in myself!

Hiro was becoming weary, which caused him to mess up the bomb block section. The score rises to 7576.

Me. EX: Haha, how inspiring! Well. Darling! It's either me or you! But I think we both already know who's going to win. Witness the true power of humanity's star!

Mettaton's soul comes out again. Hiro had to dodge more sparks as he shot away at the soul and the two bombs that revolved around it. Once done, Hiro saw half of his field flashing with a warning.

Hiro: What's that- _(sees a row of legs jutt out at him; dodges away)_ AH! _(hears the warning behind him and moves away as more legs appear)_ Gah! This is crazy!

Hiro had to deal with the soul sparks and kicking legs twice more before he saw Mettaton's legs fall off and the ratings hitting 7696. He poses in front of the limbless android, adding 100 more points and making it 7796.

Me. EX: ….then.... Are YOU the star? Can you really protect humanity!?

Hiro: I don't know. Maybe if I tried hard enough?

In his thoughts, Hiro is caught off guard with the soul shooting sparks at him while he shoots at it. Mettaton remained silent during the exchange. Hiro was so worn out from the battle that he didn't realize the disco ball came out and he panics. Some sparks and Minitons came out and hit Hiro as he desperately tries to shoot and dodge them. With no more items left to use, he was left at 2 Hp. With the last of his power, Hiro poses with all his might. The audience screams in adoration, but it wasn't enough. He was completely worn out to the point where he couldn't see the bombs nor recognize that it was the rewind stage. He shot at one, causing it to explode on him and making him literally go out with a bang. He soon wakes back up at the save star outside of the elevator. Even though he usually gets healed and refreshed at these points, Hiro still felt the remnants of exhaustion from that battle and lays in his spot for a while. It was during that rest when he remembers that feeling from being rewound in the fight.

Hiro: That was weird. It was like.....a tape rewinding? Oh... Is that what happens when I die? I redo stuff? ….. _(puts his hands on his head)_ My head hurts....

Deciding to not think more on it, Hiro rested a little while longer before getting up and reentering the room where Mettaton is waiting. Hiro was not much in the mood to hear Mettaton's monologue and tells him about the mirror again.

Me. EX: CLEVER. VERY CLEVER.

The battle ensues again. Poses, bombs, and bolts fly as Hiro danced and fought his way against Mettaton. He stopped caring about the ratings as he needed to concentrate. Despite doing much better this time around, he ran out of items and was back on his last two HP again. And once again, with feeling this time, Hiro poses with his might. The battle was soon cut off as Mettaton sees the ratings skyrocket past 10000.

Mettaton _(excitedly)_ : OOH, LOOK AT THESE RATINGS!!! THIS IS THE MOST VIEWERS I'VE HAD!!! WE'VE REACHED THE VIEWER CALL-IN MILESTONE! ONE LUCKY VIEWER WILL HAVE THE CHANCE TO TALK TO ME...BEFORE I LEAVE THE UNDERGROUND FOREVER!! LET'S SEE WHO WHO CALLS IN FIRST! _(phone rings)_ HI, YOU'RE ON TV! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ON THIS, OUR LAST SHOW???

???: …..oh.......hi....mettaton....

Hiro: Huh? This voice...

???: ….i really liked watching your show...my life is really boring....but...seeing you on the screen...brought excitement to my life...vicariously. i can't tell, but...i guess this is the last episode...? i'll miss you...mettaton......oh.....i didn't mean to talk so long....oh......

Mettaton: NO, WAIT! _(tries calling back)_ WAIT, BL.. _(hears a click)_..H....THEY ALREADY HUNG UP. …. I'LL TAKE ANOTHER CALLER!!!

As soon as he opened the phone lines, calls started pouring in as the viewers voiced their joy in watching Mettaton on TV and the sorrow they felt at the thought of losing him.

“Mettaton, your show made us so happy!”

“Mettaton, I don't know what I'll watch without you.”

“Mettaton, there's a Mettaton-shaped hole in my Mettaton-shaped heart....”

Mettaton _(saddened)_ : AH... I...I SEE... _(grins solemnly)_...EVERYONE... THANK YOU SO MUCH. … DARLING.

Hiro: Yes?

Mettaton: PERHAPS.... IT MIGHT BE BETTER IF I STAY HERE FOR A WHILE. HUMANS ALREADY HAVE STARS AND IDOLS, BUT MONSTERS...THEY ONLY HAVE ME. IF I LEFT....THE UNDERGROUND WOULD LOSE ITS SPARK. I'D LEAVE AN ACHING VOID THAT CAN NEVER BE FILLED. SO... I THINK I'LL HAVE TO DELAY MY DEBUT. BESIDES. YOU'VE PROVEN TO BE VERY STRONG. PERHAPS...EVEN STRONG ENOUGH TO GET PAST ASGORE.

Hiro: …

Mettaton: I'M SURE YOU'LL BE ABLE TO PROTECT HUMANITY. HA, HA... IT'S ALL FOR THE BEST, ANYWAY. THE TRUTH IS, THIS FORM'S ENERGY CONSUMPTION IS....INEFFICIENT. IN A FEW MOMENTS, I'LL RUN OUT OF BATTERY POWER, AND...WELL.

Hiro: Oh no! Will you be okay?

Mettaton: I'LL BE ALRIGHT. KNOCK 'EM DEAD, DARLING. AND EVERYONE.... THANK YOU. YOU'VE BEEN A GREAT AUDIENCE!

With Mettaton's parting smile, a bright light flashes in the area then fades. Once Hiro lowered his arms to look around, he saw the stage had return to normal and Mettaton's resting form on the ground before him. Before he could make a move, he hears the door opening behind him.

Alphys: I...I managed to open the lock! Are you two... _(runs in; stops in shock)_ Oh my god. _(rushes over to Mettaton)_ Mettaton! Mettaton, are you.... _(checks him over, sighs in relief)_ Thank GOD, it's just the batteries. Mettaton, if you were gone, I would have.... _(trembling)_ I would have.... _(silent, then shakes her head)_ I m-mean, h-hey, it's n-no problem, you know? He's just a robot, if you messed it up, I could always...j-just build another. _(becomes silent again)_

Hiro: Alphys?

Alphys: Ah....I'm...fine. Why don't you go on ahead? I....I just need a moment.

Hiro: Okay....

Hiro took a look at Mettaton's broken body, and got a quick vision of a more deadly version of him. Strangely, despite this towering version with its flowing cape, laser eye, and deadly gun arm, that Mettaton was shot down in one hit. Hiro shook that vision away, and departed the room exhaustively. As Hiro made his way down the corridor, he was caught up by Alphys as she apologized for before.

Alphys: L-Let's k-keep going!

_(silence)_

Alphys: S-So you're about to meet Asgore, h-huh? You must be...Y-You must be... Pr... pretty excited about all that, huh?

Hiro _(frowns)_ : Not really.

Alphys: Oh.. _(twiddles her thumbs)_ A-At least you'll f-f-finally... You'll finally get to go home!

Hiro _(smiles)_ : I'm more excited about that! _(arrives at the elevator; pushes the button and is about to enter)_ Here I go.

Alphys: W... Wait!

Hiro _(notices Alphys standing some distance from him)_ : Yeah?

Alphys _(smiles nervously)_ : I mean, um... I... I was just going to..….um...say goodbye, and.. _(her smile slowly drops; faces away from him)_

Hiro: Alphys?

Alphys: ...I can't take this anymore. _(turns away)_ I...I lied to you.

Hiro: About what?

Alphys: About....A-About how to l-leave here. R-Remember wh-when I said that with y-your human soul, you c-can pass through the b-barrier...?

Hiro: Yep.

Alphys: A....A human soul isn't strong enough to cross the barrier alone.

Hiro: It isn't?

Alphys: N-No.... _(looks down at her feet)_ It takes at least a human soul...and a monster soul. _(silent; turns to him)_ If you want to go home.... You'll have to take his soul. You'll have to kill Asgore. _(walks away then stops)_ I'm sorry.

As Alphys ran off, Hiro stood before the open elevator in shock. He has to...kill Asgore? He had no intention of killing anyone in the Underground, nor anyone ever anywhere. Besides, Hiro's never killed anyone before in his life.

…...

Right...?

~~TO BE CONTINUED~~


End file.
